Raiders fans haven't seen Fernando Mendoza take a regular-season snap yet. They're about to hear him narrate scripture instead.
Hallow , the Catholic prayer app, rolled out a seven-day audio study on the life of St. Paul this week, with the Raiders' No. 1 overall pick guiding listeners through Paul's arc from persecutor to apostle, Damascus Road conversion, prison, all of it.
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Fernando Mendoza's partnership and involvement with Hallow isn't something out of the ordinary for the young player. Mendoza spent his last college season attending Mass at the St. Paul Catholic Center in Bloomington. The Newman ministry is just a short walk from the stadium where he threw his way to a Heisman and Indiana's first national title. On Christmas Eve, he drove the trophy over and handed it to Father Patrick Hyde , the priest who'd heard his confessions all season.
"I'm a Catholic man, and they've done so much for me, whether it's confession or just being able to talk or just Mass every Sunday," Mendoza said.
Hyde called it "a generous gift" and said Mendoza is "inspiring young people to make their faith a normal part of their life."
None of this is new. Mendoza skips hype music before games for prayer instead. He prays a Rosary every Friday. After Indiana's title win, he thanked "the Man above" before a reporter even asked about God.
When someone did ask what got him to the top of the draft, he didn't dodge it: "My faith is a huge component and maybe the sole reason why I got here," Mendoza said.
That's the pitch behind the Hallow deal too. The sessions carry titles like "Interrupted" and "Finish the Race," built on the idea that Paul's transformation is a pattern anyone can recognize in their own life. Mendoza's just the latest one telling it.
Mendoza remains unsigned but is expected to be in Henderson on July 23rd as rookies report for Raiders camp.
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