Fernando Mendoza ‘looks like a rookie’ as Tom Brady steps in to help struggling Raiders quarterback

Fernando Mendoza seems to be suffering the same growing pains as many rookie quarterbacks.

Reports out of Las Vegas Raiders practices suggest the No. 1 pick may have to wait a while to replace veteran Kirk Cousins atop the depth chart.

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“He’s not where he needs to be,” Qiant Myers told the Locked on Raiders podcast. “I could tell you that by practice on Wednesday.

“I could tell you that by some of the erratic throws. I could tell you by the fact that I’m standing there talking to [former Raiders receiver] Ryan Hoag, and he says, ‘Yeah, Fernando, he looks like a rookie today.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, he does.’”

The Athletic’s Sam Warren claimed that Mendoza had taken a step backward.

“Mendoza’s operation wasn’t as clean,” he said. “He was less accurate than in prior practices — he threw behind a few receivers, resulting in deflections and incompletions.

“Miscommunications appeared to occur as well. Mendoza also would have been sacked twice, once by Malcolm Koonce and another by JJ Pegues.”

Former New York Jets scout Daniel Kelly added: “Things aren’t sounding too good for Fernando Mendoza.”

Adapting to the NFL takes time — even for Heisman winners.

Legendary tight end Greg Olsen offered a more positive view on Good Morning Football.

“You get them out as soon as you can because there is nothing like real-time NFL reps,” he said. “There will be interceptions, there’s gonna be bad plays, but those real-time reps, I think, speed the development clock up.

“If you don’t feel like your team is ready to support a young quarterback, and you think it’s gonna be actually counter-productive to their development — you’re not gonna be able to protect them, you’re not gonna be able to get the run game to complement — then I would probably take a step back.”

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Tom Brady steering Raiders QBs

The Raiders spent big on the O-line and brought in Cousins as an experienced bridge in order to ease Mendoza’s transition.

He also has the advantage of seven-time Super Bowl champion turned Raiders minority owner Tom Brady in the building.

“With Tom, as our relationship’s growing, [I’ve been] asking more questions, and he’s been able to give firsthand a lot of advice that has happened in his career,” Mendoza told Front Office Sports. “And also advice when he’s come out to OTAs, seeing the way I play, that firsthand advice as well.

“We had a question the other day that we were in the quarterback room later at night, about a specific concept and we were all there.

“Kirk was able to voice-memo Tom real quick, and he got back to us, and it was a great answer that we took a lot from.

“Tom and I have talked about technique before, and the way that he understands the technique of throwing a football and how it looks at an elite level is like something I’ve never heard.”

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Mendoza admits that pro football is a major step up from his National Championship program at Indiana.

“The professionalism and business of the sports—and in the building—is at a level I’ve never experienced before, but also in a good way,” he explained. “Everybody’s about their business.

“They understand how serious this is, rather than people in college have different priorities.”

Mendoza will get plenty of reps in preseason before likely watching from the bench as Cousins gets a shot in Las Vegas.

A winning start could see the rookie held back for some months, but time is a precious commodity in the fast-paced modern NFL and fans will expect to see the potential future of their franchise on the field.

A couple of losses and Mendoza may be thrown in at the deep end.

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