It might have only been a preseason game, but Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza had a chance to start his first NFL game on Thursday night against the Houston Texans.
It did not take long for the No. 1 overall pick to have a real welcome-to-the-NFL moment.
Fernando Mendoza throws pick-six on opening drive against Texans
After completing his second pass of the game for 22 yards to Jalen Nailor, Mendoza’s next pass was picked off by Texans rookie linebacker Wade Woodaz and returned 80 yards for a touchdown.
Mendoza attempted to chase Woodaz down, but he was unable to catch him and make the tackle.
Even though he was the No. 1 overall pick and is coming off one of the finest single seasons in recent college football history, Mendoza is still a rookie, and there are going to be a lot of growing pains for him this season when he eventually sees the field. As good as the Big Ten is, the talent gap between that and the NFL is enormous. And that is still true in a preseason game where most of the Texans defensive starters are not on the field.
All of that is a big reason why the Raiders have veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins on the roster and are expected to start him in Week 1 of the regular season.
The Raiders need Mendoza to be great for the next 10-15 years, not just this season. His development is the most important thing, and sometimes that comes from sitting and watching. And from making mistakes.
Mendoza played a significant amount of the Raiders’ preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals a week ago, completing 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.
