Fernando Mendoza enthralled by possible Tom Brady mentorship

New England Patriots

“Tom Brady, I believe, is the greatest quarterback of all time, by a wide margin.”

The consensus No. 1 pick across mocks for the 2026 NFL Draft isn’t hiding his excitement about the potential to play for the Tom Brady minority-owned Las Vegas Raiders.

Fernando Mendoza, the 22-year-old reigning Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff National Championship winner with the Indiana Hoosiers, was asked about the prospect of being selected by the Raiders first overall in two months. Being drafted by Las Vegas as a highly-touted QB means getting to work up-close with Brady, who Mendoza deems to be the G.O.A.T.

“I mean, who hasn’t admired Tom Brady? I mean, more Super Bowl rings than anybody. So that opportunity would be fantastic,” Mendoza told reporters at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana (via The Boston Globe’s Christopher Price). “Tom Brady, I believe, is the greatest quarterback of all time, by a wide margin, and to be able to have the opportunity to be mentored by him, it would mean so much.”

Mendoza, who was born in Boston, noted that he completed a pre-draft interview with Las Vegas. He said he briefly spoke with Brady over the phone, but “looks forward to meeting him in person someday.”

Mendoza became a household name this past college football season during a breakout year with the Hoosiers. On top of his Heisman and CFP National Championship trophies, he was named the National Championship Game Offensive MVP, AP College Football Player of the Year, and Big-Ten MVP, among others.

Mendoza threw for 3,535 yards, a NCAA-best 41 touchdowns, and finished the year with a 72.0 completion percentage and second-NCAA-best 182.9 passer rating. He was a major cog in Indiana’s unprecedented turnaround from one of the worst CFB teams to national champions, making him ESPN’s Mel Kiper’s first overall pick in his latest mock draft.

“I won’t waste a lot of time here: Mendoza to the Raiders seems pretty obvious at this point,” Kiper wrote. “Mendoza is the No. 1 prospect on my board and far and away the best QB in the class. He is competitive and precise with his ball location.”

While Brady didn’t experience Mendoza’s level of collegiate success, their humility as young QBs is strikingly similar. While experts view Mendoza as a lock to become a Raider, the player made sure to note that he doesn’t think it’s guaranteed.

“I know they have the No. 1 pick, but anything can happen in the draft,” Mendoza said (via NFL.com’s Eric Edholm). “Excited for the opportunity and whatever team drafts me, I am going to give everything I got to them.”

Mendoza added that he wouldn’t have any animosity toward Las Vegas, or any organization, for passing him over in the Draft.

“There’d be no hard feelings,” he said (via FOX Sports’ Henry McKenna). “I’m just grateful for whatever team drafts me, whether it’s the No. 1 pick or the 199th pick.”

Brady, heavy on Mendoza’s mind, was famously drafted No. 199 overall in the 1999 NFL Draft and went on to win seven Super Bowls.

Kaley Brown

Sports producer

Kaley Brown is a sports producer for Boston.com, where she covers the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox.