AP Wire
  • Updated

Fernando Mendoza possesses all the traits NFL teams covet in a franchise quarterback. He’s smart, mobile, makes fast reads and quick releases. He has a strong arm and prototypical size. He has three years of starting experience and a national championship, too. But the once lightly recruited Mendoza learned long ago not to take anything for granted. So if the overwhelming favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in April ’s draft fulfills those expectations, he’ll eagerly embrace the pressure to succeed. And if the quarterback-needy Las Vegas Raiders do the unthinkable and bypass Mendoza, the former Indiana star won’t fret. Instead, the Boston-born Mendoza hopes to steal a page from Tom Brady's playbook.