When Fernando Mendoza was in high school, he was not the hyped star everyone sees today. Instead, he was the QB4, buried in the depth chart. However, he never lost sight of what he wanted to become. As a tenth grader, he transferred to Christopher Columbus High School to learn in a pro-style system, but that self-growth came at a cost.

His friends disowned him for good, called him a traitor even. But Mendoza had learned from his mother that pain usually means growth. Today, he is the first overall pick, a National Champion, and a Heisman winner. But most of all, he remains what his mother, Elsa, proudly calls him: a true teammate. So, when it came to visiting the POTUS at the White House, Mendoza chose an option that many wouldn’t. And he has a very good reason why.

“I believe May 11 is the first day of OTAs,” Fernando Mendoza told the reporters yesterday. “I don’t have the calendar. If it is on the first day of OTAs, I’m at the bottom of the totem pole; I’ve got to prove myself. I can’t miss practice.

“As a rookie, I don’t think that’s a good look, and I want to best serve my teammates. I don’t know if I’d be accomplishing that goal.”

The official Raiders website mentions that their OTAs will begin May 18 and last till June 4. However, Mendoza already comes with the wisdom of a true leader. In team sports, the biggest thing a player can do is understand their team’s needs over their personal preferences.

Sure, meeting President Donald Trump would have added one more feather to Mendoza’s hat. But Mendoza will be playing as a backup behind Kirk Cousins and needs to take that leap to become the team’s QB1 quickly. Wisely enough, he would rather stay with his team and learn the playbook that he will soon be handling single-handedly. But the lesson behind the decision carries a bigger reason.

You see, Mendoza was never the star player until his senior year in college. He was always behind someone, waiting for his chance. He, however, always found a way to prove himself worthy. While entering the NFL with the Las Vegas Raiders with many achievements no longer means he needs to prove his skills, he does understand there is a learning curve when you enter the professional league. And it is no different for the first-overall pick.

Moreover, he is still a work in progress.

Mendoza needs to go through the learning curve

Being picked at a high number rarely means a complete translation of skills at the NFL stage. More importantly, the Raiders aren’t ready yet. After a 3-14 season, they are still getting their house in order. And because of the complete rebuild, the team needs time to create the best environment for the rookie to develop.

Mendoza, too, has some areas to improve that show he needs to learn more.

For instance, he processes pressure and releases the ball too quickly. Even behind a strong offensive line at Indiana, Mendoza took 25 sacks in 2025 and recorded a 22.5% sacks-to-pressure ratio. The NFL is more physical, and defenses particularly target rookie QBs.

Last season, Geno Smith took 55 sacks under the center in Vegas. Mendoza coming into that position without getting a feel of the NFL defense early on would only harm him.

Sure, meeting his team and celebrating one more time with them after a historic run would’ve been great. But he already skipped the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, showing strong restraint in doing what he wants to do without caring for the optics. So far, that has done him good.

Moreover, he can always visit the nation’s capital with the Raiders when they hopefully win their first Super Bowl since 1984. For now, he is working towards his goal.

Fernando Mendoza addresses the transition to playing under center

While the sport remains football at the NFL or college level, the play style of each stage is vastly different, creating a major problem for players, especially quarterbacks, transitioning to the pros. Unsurprisingly, many experts described this as an issue for Fernando Mendoza, highlighting his lack of experience playing under center.

The Indiana standout took three percent of his snaps under center, totaling five snaps across three seasons (two at Cal and one at Indiana). ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky even opined that the 13th overall pick, Ty Simpson, would have been a better option for the Raiders, as he fits new head coach Klint Kubaik’s system of high-level under-center mechanics.

And now, Mendoza has highlighted how he has been focusing on his footwork as the biggest adjustment to playing under center.

“Instead of being back there in shotgun, we have to get back to make sure you best serve your offensive linemen, still be on time [and] still decipher the defense,” Mendoza said, per ESPN. “And with that, actually having an emphasis on those first two steps, on securing the snap and getting out of there, and on being powerful with having quick feet.”

With this uphill task ahead and the pressure of being the first overall pick for the Raiders, Fernando Mendoza would rather put in extra hours and skip the Hoosiers’ visit to the White House on May 11 to celebrate the program’s first national championship victory. However, there’s always a chance that he could end up in Washington a week from today.