INDIANAPOLIS — Fernando Mendoza, the presumptive first overall pick in the next NFL Draft, walked into his formal meeting with the Las Vegas Raiders here at the NFL Scouting Combine, and Tom Brady wasn’t there.
That’s the bad news. But …
“I was able to say a brief hi on the phone to Brady, and he said that was very special to me,” Mendoza, the Indiana quarterback, said. “And I look forward to meeting in person hopefully one day, and learning from him.”
Mendoza rose from a 2-star recruit from Columbus High School in Miami to lead the Hoosiers to an improbable college football national championship.
“I think I was like the 134th quarterback coming out of my own class in high school,” Mendoza said. “It’s all about small wins every day, and all about discipline.”
Mendoza said he’ll be grateful, whether he’s the number one pick or the 199th pick.
Mendoza is savvy. Brady was the 199th overall pick of his draft. Mendoza will cite a chip on the shoulder that should be endearing the minority owner of the Raiders.
“I mean, who hasn’t admired Tom Brady?” Mendoza said. “I mean, more Super Bowl rings than anybody, anybody. That opportunity (to play in Las Vegas) would be fantastic. Tom Brady, I believe, is the greatest quarterback of all time by a wide margin. And to be able to have the opportunity to be mentored by him, it would mean so much.”
NFL Scouting Combine: All eyes on Fernando Mendoza
Mendoza has an aww-shucks personality and leadership style that harkens back to the 1950s. He’s authentic and has not shied away from the reality that some view his mannerisms or cadence as quirky or even a bit nerdy.
“He might be the most athletic nerd I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” former New York Giants receiver Victor Cruz once said in an interview with Jim Rome. “As a quarterback, you love nerds … I think he really understands what it takes to be a quarterback, not only at this level, but at the next and I think his intelligence is what’s going to keep his team in it week in and week out.”
How will Mendoza’s personality and leadership style translate to a group of men in the NFL locker room?
“If you want to lead, you first got to play well,” Mendoza said. “And then second, it’s having the respect of your teammates. Through work ethic, through your leadership, through your tenacity, the way you respond to mistakes, and so those are all things I’m looking to work on.”
Fernando Mendoza scouting report before NFL Draft
Mendoza can make plays with his legs, but it not incredibly fast.
Mendoza is poised, accurate and on-time, but does not have a cannon of an arm.
Mendoza’s super power seems to be that he’s pretty good at everything.
“I would say because the margins are so small, and if you really obsess over the small details, it gives you the small edge, and then you’re able to jump, and you’re able to improve, and able to get better,” Mendoza says.
Part of the reason Mendoza was lost a bit in the shuffle as a high schooler is there is so much big-time talent in South Florida.
At the combine, Mendoza was reflecting on an 8th grade recruiting visit to Georgia Tech, where he was joined by ‘Canes star Rueben Bain.
“Reuben Bain and I actually were working out because his cousin Rashawn was a running back for Christopher Columbus High School,” Mendoza recalled. “And so he would always work out on the field. I’d be throwing routes down to the Columbus guys, and he’d be on the other side of the field hitting the bags. And it’s like, ‘One day that guy’s gonna be a beast.’ Little known enough, a month ago, he sacked me in the National Championship.”
Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe’s free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Fernando Mendoza at NFL combine: QB would love to learn from Tom Brady
Reporting by Joe Schad, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
