Mendoza 5th Heisman Winner Drafted By Raiders, 11th To Play For Franchise
On Thursday, 2025 Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza was selected first in the 2026 NFL Draft by Las Vegas. On Friday, he was in the Raiders headquarters in Henderson, Nev., meeting members of the organization and being introduced to the local media.
Mendoza was also welcomed with open arms by a handful of Raider greats who were on hand for the special day, including fellow Heisman winners Tim Brown, Marcus Allen and Jim Plunkett.
He was also greeted by phone by former Raider Head Coach Tom Flores, who coached both Allen and Plunkett to a pair of Super Bowl wins in 1981 and 1984. Mendoza will wear No. 15 with the Raiders, the same jersey Flores wore while playing for the Raiders during their AFL days.
Brown, who met Mendoza during the Heisman ceremony weekend in December, stopped the Indiana Hoosier great soon after his arrival and taught him the Raiders’ chant. Check it out here.
During his introductory press conference, Mendoza spoke with typical humility.
“There’s a lot of anticipation coming to this pick, but now I’m really glad that all of the outside noise is done. I’m officially a Raider. I’m excited to be humble and hungry and get to work,” Mendoza said.
“This morning and last night I was able to get a text from a couple of guys like Maxx Crosby, Tyler Linderbuam, Kolton Miller and Kirk Cousins. I’m sure there’s been more, I’ll be looking forward to reaching out to all my new teammates and most of those guys. It’s been a whirlwind in the past couple hours, but Kirk sent me really nice text, looking forward to working with him, learning anything I can from him, and just a great not only teammates that I will learn from but also the great coaches.”
He also remarked on joining the three-time Super Bowl champion Raiders, which features a legacy of some of the game’s top players.
“It’s a huge responsibility, but it’s also a huge honor to honor the legacy,” he said. “The Raiders are a core historic franchise and one of the faces of the NFL, and I feel like, again, I need to prove it and earn it every single day. If I wear number 15 this year, whether or not that happens, I mean, Tom Flores was able to coach and win two Super Bowls and also wear number 15 as a quarterback. He has cemented that number. So, I feel like every corner you turn, you see Mr. [Jim] Plunkett, Mr. [Tim] Brown, Mr. [Marcus] Allen, like everybody, Mr. [Fred] Biletnikoff, and I really appreciate all the legends coming out here today. It means so much to see the alumni and really shows what a first class organization this is. So, I’m stoked and ready to prove it.”
Raider General Manager John Spytek said: “This selection of Fernando was not a coronation. He earned it every bit of the way with his play and the way that he conducted himself in all of our one-on-one interactions during the draft process. We’re thrilled to welcome Fernando to Las Vegas. To have his family here today is really special and I hope it’s been a special 24 hours for them. I know it’s been a whirlwind.”
Mendoza will be the 11th Heisman winner to play for the Raiders. He is the fifth Heisman winner drafted by the franchise, joining Charles Woodson (fourth overall in 1998), Brown (sixth overall in 1988), Bo Jackson (seventh round in 1987) andAllen (10th overall in 1983). Other Heisman winners who have played for the Raiders include Billy Cannon, Plunkett, Desmond Howard, Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Marcus Mariota.
You can watch more of Mendoza’s introductory press conference here.
