‘[Fernando] Mendoza Has Some Philip Rivers in His Throwing Motion’ — Former Packers QB Delivers Big, Big Endorsement of Raiders Rookie

Former NFL quarterback Kurt Benkert has given a significant endorsement to Raiders rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza. After watching Mendoza during the preseason, Benkert compared his throwing motion to that of Philip Rivers, one of the NFL's most accomplished quarterbacks. Mendoza put in a solid effort in the Raiders' first two preseason games, completing 8 out of 15 passes for 86 yards in the second game against the Houston Texans.

However, he also made a costly pick-six early on and struggled at times, particularly against a strong Texans defense. Benkert noted that Mendoza showed improvement after receiving encouragement from teammate Maxx Crosby, but his performance was not as polished as his first outing against Arizona, where he completed 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown.

Despite these mixed results, Benkert still viewed Mendoza positively, calling him an "operator" with the ability to extend plays with his legs and move the chains. While he recognized Mendoza alone could not turn around a struggling Raiders team, Benkert still believed that the value of the top overall pick would be better utilized by selecting a player with greater athletic potential or trading the pick altogether.

Currently, Mendoza is not expected to start for the Raiders this season, with veteran Kirk Cousins already set to begin ahead of him.