Fernando Mendoza is set to take his first preseason snaps for the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday against the Arizona Cardinals, but the bigger story around the Cal product is what comes next.
The No. 1 pick in this year’s NFL draft arrives in Las Vegas with a resume that already stands out. Mendoza beat Stanford in Big Game matchups for Cal in 2023 and ’24, then won the Heisman Trophy last fall while leading Indiana to a national championship. That made him the seventh former Cal quarterback selected in the first round of the NFL draft and the third to go No. 1 overall.
For now, Raiders first-year coach Klint Kubiak has Kirk Cousins, a 15-year veteran, installed as the starter. And that, according to former Cal star Mike Pawlawski, could be exactly what Mendoza needs.
“I’m hoping he’s going to get the time to become the veteran quarterback that you need to be to succeed in that league,” said Pawlawski, who worked extensively with Mendoza.
Pawlawski pointed to Aaron Rodgers as the model, saying, "I told Aaron Rodgers when he came out here that being behind Brett Favre was the best thing that ever happened to him because you get to study it without taking the bumps and bruises the hard way. You don’t develop the bad habits you do that you get when you’re under pressure.”
Rodgers waited three seasons before taking over as Green Bay’s full-time starter in his fourth year, and by then he was set up for stardom.
Pawlawski’s argument is simple: if Mendoza is protected from being thrown into a rough situation too soon, the Raiders can spare him a heavy beating on a team that went 3-14 last season and is projected to finish last again in the AFC West.
History gives that idea some support. Among the half-dozen former Cal quarterbacks taken in the first round, only Kyle Boller managed a winning record as a rookie starter. Boller went 5-4 for the Baltimore Ravens in 2003 and played eight NFL seasons.
The others - Craig Morton, Steve Bartkowski, Rich Campbell and Jared Goff - all had rocky rookie statistical lines. As a group, they threw 27 touchdown passes and 40 interceptions in their first professional seasons.
Bartkowski, the No. 1 pick in 1975, finished second in Rookie of the Year voting after starting 11 games for the Falcons, who went 4-7. Goff didn’t even get his first start until the final seven games of 2016 with the Los Angeles Rams, who lost all seven and sacked him 26 times.
The modern No. 1 pick has often been pushed straight into the fire. The past six quarterbacks selected first overall - Cam Ward in 2025, Caleb Williams in ’24, Bryce Young in ’23, Trevor Lawrence in ’21, Joe Burrow in ’20 and Kyler Murray in ’19 - all opened the season as full-time starters. Those six combined for a rookie record of 20-71-2.
That’s why Pawlawski sees value in a slower path for Mendoza, even if it makes him unusual by today’s standards.
“He's going to learn it all, figure it all out, he’s going to find those solutions before he ever faces the problem live. That way he can grow,” Pawlawski said.
“I expect for him to have an insane career. People underestimate how good he is because of his work ethic.
They don’t know it if they haven’t seen it. He’s relentless about finding those things that make him better.
“He has all the tools. And he has the ability through that work ethic to become as good as he wants to be.”
Mendoza got a small taste of the starting role in practice Saturday after Cousins was suspended for one day following a scuffle with defensive end Maxx Crosby. He responded by throwing three touchdown passes in a scrimmage session.
Quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan said the Raiders have liked the way Mendoza has progressed.
“Fernando continues to improve, and the thing I think we’re very pleased about is from spring to the start of camp, there were some parts of this game we wanted him to improve upon and he has as we’ve added different layers and dimensions,” Sullivan told the Associated Press. “He’s not repeating mistakes, which is always a good thing.
It’s a long process. We’re pleased with how he’s developing.”
For Pawlawski, the hope is that Cousins stays in place for at least a while and serves as both starter and mentor. Cousins has made 167 NFL regular-season starts, with only nine coming in his first three seasons.
If that happens, Mendoza will be doing something most recent No. 1 quarterbacks haven’t had the luxury to do: watch, learn and wait. Pawlawski believes that approach could pay off in a big way.
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