Raiders likely 1st pick Fernando Mendoza reveals childhood admiration for Tom Brady

Story by

Steve Silverman, ClutchPoints

Fri, Feb 6, 2026 ·

2 min read

Raiders likely 1st pick Fernando Mendoza reveals childhood admiration for Tom Brady appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

Quarterback Fernando Mendoza is coming off a dream-like and brilliant season in college football. He won the Heisman Trophy as the best college football player and led the upstart Indiana Hoosiers to an undefeated season and the national championship. His performance in the College Football Playoff Championship Game included a spectacular touchdown run that gave the Hoosiers the winning points against Miami . Mendoza’s play during the last two seasons is expected to land him the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft with the Las Vegas Raiders .

The Raiders are coming off a disastrous season in which they finished in last place in the AFC West with a 3-14 record. Head coach Pete Carroll returned to the sidelines with the idea of leading the Raiders back to glory, but his team fell apart and he was fired at the end of the season. The Raiders are expected to name Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak as their head coach shortly after his team plays the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 60.

Mendoza has been in attendance during the Super Bowl build up in San Francisco as the teams prepare to play at Levi’s Stadium. He appeared with Colin Cowherd on Radio Row, and he explained that Tom Brady was his role model as he learned how to play quarterback during his formative years.

“I read the TB12 book.” Mendoza explained. “I was always big on preparation. Because, like Tom, I’m not the biggest, I’m not the fastest, I’m not the strongest. But the edge is in the intellect and preparation.”

Brady is a minority owner with the Raiders in addition to serving as the lead analyst on Fox Sports broadcasts of NFL games. Mendoza’s take on Brady can’t hurt his draft status with the Raiders.