Fernando Mendoza compared to Drew Bledsoe -- Raiders fans might not love that Patriots comparison vs. Tom Brady
This isn't what they wanted to hear.
Fernando Mendoza compared to Drew Bledsoe -- Raiders fans might not love that Patriots comparison vs. Tom Brady originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Fernando Mendoza is the NFL Draft's No. 1 pick to the Las Vegas Raiders . But the Indiana QB wasn't just compared to the former New England Patriots QB who is now one of his owners, Tom Brady.
Nope -- during the NFL Draft, ESPN's Louis Riddick compared him to Drew Bledsoe. 2026 NFL DRAFT HQ: Live tracker | Pick-by-pick grades | Best players still available Bledsoe was a No. 1 overall pick himself, and he's got a similar size profile to Mendoza, which is what they showed clips of during the ESPN broadcast.
But there's not a perfect narrative with Bledsoe. Bledsoe, of course, is the guy who got hurt and then lost his job to Brady. MORE: The full origin story of ESPN's NFL Draft pick chime Then with the Buffalo Bills , Bledsoe wasn't a player who delivered on the hype as their new quarterback, either.