Fernando Mendoza spent faculty summers interning at actual property and funding corporations — and approached the draft like a job interview.
Jon Small
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edited by
Sherin Shibu
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Apr 24, 2026
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Fernando Mendoza simply turned the #1 choose within the NFL draft, however he didn’t audition for the job like a typical jock. The Indiana quarterback spent his faculty summers interning at business actual property and funding corporations. He’s a proud finance wonk who studied enterprise. And the one social media he retains on his cellphone is LinkedIn.
That mindset formed how he approached the draft. Realizing the Las Vegas Raiders would choose him first, Mendoza didn’t waste time celebrating. He began working independently with former NFL quarterback Brian Griese to study the Raiders’ offense earlier than he was formally employed. They’ve been working towards the playbook that new coach Klint Kubiak is bringing from Seattle, giving Mendoza a useful head begin on the steep studying curve most rookie quarterbacks face.
On the scouting mix, Mendoza informed The Wall Avenue Journal: “Proper now I’m unemployed. I’ve no job. I’m simply attempting to do every little thing to hopefully get employed April twenty third.” It labored: His new job is Raider QB.
Fernando Mendoza simply turned the #1 choose within the NFL draft, however he didn’t audition for the job like a typical jock. The Indiana quarterback spent his faculty summers interning at business actual property and funding corporations. He’s a proud finance wonk who studied enterprise. And the one social media he retains on his cellphone is LinkedIn.
That mindset formed how he approached the draft. Realizing the Las Vegas Raiders would choose him first, Mendoza didn’t waste time celebrating. He began working independently with former NFL quarterback Brian Griese to study the Raiders’ offense earlier than he was formally employed. They’ve been working towards the playbook that new coach Klint Kubiak is bringing from Seattle, giving Mendoza a useful head begin on the steep studying curve most rookie quarterbacks face.
On the scouting mix, Mendoza informed The Wall Avenue Journal: “Proper now I’m unemployed. I’ve no job. I’m simply attempting to do every little thing to hopefully get employed April twenty third.” It labored: His new job is Raider QB.








