Fernando Mendoza looks every bit like the player the Raiders hoped for

It's just one game, but it's hard not to get excited about Fernando Mendoza's NFL preseason debut.

Mendoza got his first taste of NFL action on Thursday night in the Raiders' preseason opener against the Cardinals. New Las Vegas head coach Klint Kubiak said earlier this week that Mendoza would see significant playing time, and that he did. Mendoza didn't start the game, but when his name was called, he impressed.

Fernando Mendoza makes impressive statement in first NFL action

After Kirk Cousins led a touchdown drive on Las Vegas' first drive of the game, Mendoza entered the game late in the 1st quarter. In total, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner led four Las Vegas drives and went 10-for-16 for 97 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. It was about as good of a preseason debut as you could ask for, and he looked every bit the part of what the Raiders want to see.

Mendoza looked confident, prepared, and methodical when leading the Las Vegas offense. He was getting the ball out on time, extremely accurate, and was able to extend plays with his legs when needed. In addition to leading the Raiders with 97 passing yards, Mendoza also added six yards on the ground, although he was sacked once for eight yards which impacted his rushing yardage total.

Take a look at some of his highlights below:

Mendoza's first professional touchdown pass came on a 6-yard throw to WR Jack Bech. Mendoza took the shotgun snap without a dropback and fired a bullet to Bech in the perfect location. The throw was down and away from the defense in a tight window, making sure that Bech was the only player who could come down with it. The throw made Mendoza the first No. 1 overall pick to throw a touchdown pass in his first preseason game since Baker Mayfield in 2018.

But Mendoza's best throw of the night came on this dime to WR Malik Benson:

Fernando Mendoza battling for Las Vegas' QB1 job

Getting accustomed to the speed, size, and skill at the NFL level can create a tough learning curve for incoming rookie, especially quarterbacks. But Mendoza didn't looked phased whatsoever. If Mendoza keeps impressing in camp, it may be hard to keep him off the field this season.

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As impressive as Mendoza's preseason debut was, it's clear that he still has a lot of work to do if he wants to take the Week 1 starting job away from Cousins. Mendoza was listed as the Raiders' No. 2 QB on their first depth chart of the preseason, which didn't necessarily come as a surprise.

Yet, Mendoza has seen some reps with the first-teamers in training camp and appears to be making a strong impression. Kubiak has already noted that Mendoza has been "as advertised" in the offseason, and had to have liked what he saw on Thursday night in Mendoza's debut.

Las Vegas' next preseason game is slated for next week on Thursday, August 20 against the Texans. Mendoza figures to see ample playing time in that contest as well.

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