Havana/Specialized media places the quarterback of Cuban roots and Heisman Trophy winner, Fernando Mendoza, as a player in the Raiders organization, an agreement that would be finalized in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, which will take place on April 23. The player even overtook Yahoo Sports what would be his first words when the agreement became official: “Come on, damn it, come on!”
Mendoza told the same media that he felt “blessed by the opportunity” and recalled his family roots. “My heritage is Cuban-American. I was born in the United States. All four of my grandparents were born and raised in Cuba. They lived there and immigrated to the United States. They made the American dream come true.”
In an interview with the Spanish sports newspaper AceMendoza commented that his grandparents “sacrificed a lot to support my parents and then they did the same for me.” He mentioned that when he was in high schoolhis family took him and his brother to the Island “to see where we came from. I saw how much it meant to them.”
The national champion with the Hoosiers, according to NFL draft analyst Charles Davis, is “an excellent player”
The national champion with the Hoosiers, according to NFL draft analyst Charles Davis, is “an excellent player.” For Raiders he represents “the complete package as a person, as a leader and as a player (…) the right type of kid that you build a team around.”
It is not improvised. The specialized magazine Sports Illustrated highlights Mendoza as the athlete who “defies simple categorizations and easy comparisons.” His intelligence, curiosity, and academic achievements “make him an ideal candidate for almost any profession.”
Mendoza was vice president of his class at Indiana University, president of campus ministry, social media director for the honors program, and founder of a nonprofit that raises awareness for youth in need. Additionally, he has organized humanitarian efforts in Cuba.
He quarterback speaks and thinks like a stoic, points out Sports Illustrated. The young man follows Ryan Holiday closely on social networks, consumes his books and listens to his podcasts even in the most everyday moments, such as when driving or during the shower. In parallel, he delves into the texts of Marcus Aurelius, whom he considers a timeless reference, “the Ryan Holiday of the second century,” he suggests.
“I just finished reading another book. It’s time to get back into that mindset stoic again,” commented the boy who comes to Raiders, which has been an open secret for months. “Being a quarterback is something cerebral and I am always ready to learn, ready to… increase my neuroplasticity in stoicism.”
