When Fernando Mendoza was asked about his biggest learning during his transition from college football to the NFL, the Las Vegas Raiders‘ quarterback emphasized that he can now focus entirely on football, considering there’s no school. At the same time, however, Indiana’s first-ever Heisman winner also admitted the growing pains he had to endure during the Raiders’ OTAs and the mandatory minicamp over the past few weeks.

“There are growing pains with that, and I’ve had a little bit of growing pains during OTAs. However, I’ve always believed that whatever mistakes I make, let’s not be a repeat offender, as coach Kubiak says, and making sure that I’m growing and learning, which I believe I have been doing as well,” he told Front Office Sports.

Heading into his rookie season, one of the biggest concerns surrounding the No. 1 pick was that he operated almost exclusively out of the shotgun formation throughout his college career and lacked experience playing under center. That evaluation carried considerable weight given that head coach Klint Kubiak’s offense is rooted in the West Coast system, and he’s coming off a Super Bowl run.

To put that into perspective, Mendoza enters the NFL after throwing for 3,535 yards and an impressive 41 touchdowns against just six interceptions, while also adding six rushing scores in 2025. However, only 3% of his snaps at Indiana that season came from under center. Additionally, reports suggested the quarterback had taken just five snaps under center during his entire collegiate career.

Still, the 22-year-old impressed the coaching staff in Vegas through his work ethic. Offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko praised Mendoza’s desire to learn every detail of the offense.

“If there’s something that he needs to improve on, he takes that step,” the OC said. “Whether it be getting away from center, or it’d be something where he gets through a progression either too fast or maybe he’s a little too slow on stuff.

“Just creating efficiency for himself in the classroom, creating efficiency with his mental process, or creating efficiency as he processes on the field, being able to take what we’ve done in the classroom to the individual drill, then taking the individual drill into the team drill. As you see that apply, that’s where a quarterback grows.”

Through the rookie minicamp, the OTAs, and the mandatory minicamp, Mendoza has spent plenty of time understanding Kubiak’s offensive schemes. But at the same time, the quarterback also acknowledged that he faced some shortcomings in Kubiak’s system.

“Luckily, I feel confident that I’m able to see the field well,” he said. “My growing pains are coming from, ‘Hey, I’ve got to time up my footwork a little bit with the routes,’ and intricacies here and there. I’m really working hard with the coaching staff, who are pushing me, and have done a phenomenal job of relaying and communicating the information needed. It’s up to me take full advantage of that. I feel like I’ve been growing every day, from the first day of OTAs, then today at minicamp. I feel like I’m leaps and bounds ahead of where I was.”

Right after Mendoza’s statement, coach Kubiak admitted that,

“He’s working his tail off. He’s gotten a ton better,” Kubiak said. “With anyone coming into the league, you’ve got to put the work into it, and he’s done that. The things we’ve asked him to improve on, he’s been diligent at.”

Still, heading into the rookie season, Fernando Mendoza will be developed behind Kirk Cousins and Aidan O’Connell before the Raiders hand him the keys. For now, the expectations from Mendoza are to start for Vegas in the second half of the 2026 season.