Former Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza made his NFL preseason debut in the Las Vegas Raiders’ 27-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals at Allegiant Stadium.
Veteran Kirk Cousins started the game for the Raiders before Mendoza made an impressive cameo, completing 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. As the Raiders rookie set out to impress, one former Los Angeles Chargers nose tackle delivered a lofty comparison on Thursday night.
NFL Fans Slam Breiden Fehoko’s Lofty Fernando Mendoza Comparison
One of Mendoza’s best plays was a spectacular threaded pass between three defenders to Malik Benson for a 19-yard completion. As that clip went viral, former nose tackle Breiden Fehoko caught sight of it. Impressed by Mendoza’s performance, he compared the Raiders rookie’s release to Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, and Joe Burrow.
“I’m not kidding when I say I see shades of Mahomes/Burrow/Brady in his release. Effortless. The Raiders got them one man,” Fehoko wrote.
NFL fans on X had mixed reactions to Fehoko’s comparison. One reminded Fehoko that much-maligned Shedeur Sanders also made spectacular throws during last year’s preseason.
“Let us know when you’re finished. Shedeur did the same thing in his preseason debut,” Mike wrote.
Another fan theorized that Fehoko’s comparison was a deliberate attempt to elicit rage among NFL fans. “This is the worst rage baiting I’ve seen on this app. The guy is terrible,” the fan posted.
‘Jay Bird’ urged fans not to overreact to a preseason game. “It’s the preseason, let’s not overreact,” were his words.
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Fred was confused by Fehoko’s comparison of quarterbacks with different styles of play.
“Mahomes/Burrow/Brady, my brother in Christ, those are three quarterbacks with very different releases,”he remarked.
Another fan theorized that Fehoko made the claims due to Mendoza’s status as the No. 1 pick.
“4 drives and one score and we already doing this. If he was a 5th-round pick, I’d doubt you’d be saying this,” the fan noted.
Raiders coach Klint Kubiak confirmed that the QB1 job is Cousins’ to lose after the veteran quarterback began training camp as the team’s starter. The Raiders signed Cousins to a mammoth five-year, $172 million deal after the Atlanta Falcons released the quarterback. A few weeks later, the Raiders selected Mendoza No. 1 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Mendoza has generated plenty of excitement after a stellar final season in college football during which he led the Hoosiers to an unprecedented 16-0 record, including the Big Ten and national championships.
Mendoza registered 3,535 passing yards on 72% completion, 41 touchdowns and 6 interceptions, adding 276 rushing yards and 7 scores for the Hoosiers last season. He earned the second-best PFN College QB Impact score of 93.3 and won the prestigious Heisman Trophy.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.