It is only a matter of time before Fernando Mendoza and Tom Brady are part of the same organization. The Las Vegas Raiders will use the No. 1 overall pick on the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback out of Indiana in the 2026 NFL Draft. Brady has been a minority owner of the Raiders since hanging up the spikes a few years back. They play similarly, albeit Mendoza can run it far better than Brady could.
When asked by Joel Klatt about his game, Todd McShay did compare Mendoza favorably to Brady.
"He's different. Just listening to him talk. And I don't think he's been around Brady much, but you get that same vibe where he's focusing on things. Like, if you're in a classroom in high school and this kid's talking with the arm raised, he's annoying, right? ... But then armed with all these 26 years of doing this and listening to the things he's focusing on as a young man. I'm like, he gets it."
Here is what Klatt and McShay had to say about Mendoza during an episode of The Joel Klatt Show.
"If you're in a classroom in high school and this kid's talking with the arm raised, he's annoying... but listening to the things he's focusing on as a young man, I'm like man, he gets it."
— The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football on FOX Pod (@JoelKlattShow) April 6, 2026
More from @joelklatt and @McShay13 on what makes this young QB special and Brady-like. pic.twitter.com/b9mtVGX4Yi
While ESPN's Dan Orlovsky refuses to see the forest through the trees in all of this, Klatt and McShay made FOX Sports and The Ringer proud with their assessment of the bona-fide QB1 in this NFL Draft class. Mendoza has the physical tools to be a strong quarterback in this league, but his traits above the shoulders and his unrelenting enthusiasm is why he has the chance to be a truly special player.
Mendoza may be perceived as corny, but nothing he says or does is inauthentic of himself in any way.
Fernando Mendoza gets compared favorably to Tom Brady in a great way
There is nothing Mendoza loves more than playing football with the boys. He may be trying to make himself the best Fernando Mendoza he can be each and every day. While his rah-rah mentality, may not land well with every player in the league, Mendoza seems to be the epitome of a foxhole guy. When the going gets tough, he hunkers down, and rallies his teammates. It is why it will work for him.
Brady was the same way during his legendary NFL career. He won six Super Bowls leading the New England Patriots and then a seventh in his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during COVID. In the end, it might be comparing apples to oranges, but Mendoza does appear to be cut from the same cloth as Brady in terms of an overall leadership perspective. It seems to resonate with players.
Overall, the Raiders are about to draft their most important player since Tim Brown, or at the very least since Khalil Mack. The fact Mendoza plays quarterback, there is a chance he could be held in as high regard as the late, great Ken Stabler was during his illustrious NFL career. They played the game differently, but Stabler was always one of the guys. It is why he was able to connect with many people.
As long as Mendoza remains authentic to himself, he is going to have such a tremendous NFL career.