Fernando Mendoza is Tom Brady’s ideal quarterback but seven-time champ has concerns about No. 1 pick
Tom Brady has a potentially franchise-altering decision to make.
The NFL icon is now a Las Vegas Raiders minority owner, and with that comes the responsibility of helping the franchise decide who to select in the upcoming draft.
Fortunately for the Raiders, they possess the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft after a woeful 3-14 2025 season.
This has essentially given them free rein to draft highly-touted quarterback Fernando Mendoza, should they wish to.
The Indiana signal caller led the Hoosiers to their first undefeated season in program history as they clinched the NCAA College Football Playoff National Championship for the very first time.
On the surface, Mendoza has everything – he stands at 6-foot-5 in stature and weighs 225 pounds, an ideal frame for a pocket-passer with a strong arm and quick release.
After all, he threw for 3,535 passing yards at a 72.0 percent completion rate for 48 total touchdowns to just six interceptions, which saw him edge out the competition to win the 2025 Heisman Trophy.
But seven-time Super Bowl champion Brady wants to look deeper into the athletes that may enter his organization.
Brady wants to explore deeper than the surface
Sitting down in conversation with UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier for a special with UFC entitled ‘Champion Mindset’, Brady opened up about what he looks for in the modern day athlete.
“So many athletes are only valued on their physicality,” Brady told Cormier. “When the NFL draft comes around every year, it’s like ‘man, this guy is 6-foot-4, 215 pounds and he runs a 4.30.’
“And I’m like, yeah but does he work hard? Is he obsessed [with football]?”
Brady also draws on his own experiences having gone from severely overlooked at every point in his own football journey from high school through to eventually becoming arguably the greatest quarterback in NFL history.
Despite earning a scholarship to play Division I football at Michigan, Brady entered the program as the seventh quarterback on the depth chart.
He even admitted that in his sophomore season with the Wolverines, self-doubt crept in and he questioned whether ‘this Michigan thing is too much’ for him.
But after persevering and biding his time to claim the starting role, Brady knew he was destined to reach the NFL – albeit he was drafted much later than he had initially anticipated.
Admitting that he thought he would be a second or third round draft pick, the $375 million color commentator for Fox had to wait until the sixth round to hear his name called out.
Mendoza appears to have the attributes Brady is looking for
Hindsight, though, is a wonderful thing, and Brady is of the firm belief that all of his life experiences have shaped how he views athletes today.
“Those were all great things [the set backs] for me because when we look back, I’m like, ‘Had I been a top recruit, had I been a top draft pick, I don’t know. Would my work ethic be the same?” Brady questioned.
“What I think? I don’t know – maybe I’m better than these guys. Maybe I could skip that day… I’ve seen so many guys do that at this point.
“The guys that usually have the most talent never had to develop the work ethic and they never really had to deal with adversity.
“I look at the pro level now, and now that I’m 48 and I’m part of football and I’m part of a team, I wanna see what guys are made of when it doesn’t go their way…
“When you get a contract or you make all the money that you want. But how about when you throw three interceptions in a game?
“I want to hear what you say to the media after that because that’s going to tell me about who you are.”
Mendoza has had to deal with adversity his entire career, going from being a two-star recruit out of high school to a national champion.
In fact, the 22-year-old appears to entirely fit the profile of player that Brady is seeking to become a franchise cornerstone for years to come.
From redshirting his freshman season at California, to entering the transfer portal after three year and joining a program like Indiana that was not highly rated.
Mendoza also did all of this whilst dealing with his mother’s chronic health condition, showing inner strength that clearly radiated through his teammates too in the quest for CFP glory.
But now he is so good, and the projected top draft pick, Brady is wary over whether the same hunger and drive to succeed that he had during his career will be evident in the young rising star.
Whilst Brady has spoken fondly of Mendoza, whether he believes he is the player who can transform the Raiders, though, is yet to be determined.
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