WATCH: Raiders draft call with top pick Fernando Mendoza
See the moment Fernando Mendoza was given the news that he was to be the Raiders selection at No. 1 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft.
The best thing about watching the NFL Draft is the human element. The excitement from the players and their families upon realizing their dream of playing in the NFL. Fernando Mendoza was the first of 32 players taken Thursday night and thus was the first to have his moment when Raiders GM John Spytek picked up the phone to give him the news.
The dark side is calling š“āā ļø #RaiderNation šŗ ESPN | @ModeloUSA pic. twitter. com/jm9BV2xoW8 ā Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) April 24, 2026 It's not entirely surprising how composed Mendoza was in the moment.
After all, he had been given every indication that he was going to be the Raiders pick for months. Now it was basically the formality of it all. Mendoza said in his conference call with media following his selection that he was so emotional in the leadup to the draft that he had to calm himself back down.
But he added that the emotions came back when his mom told him how proud she was of him. Spytek and Klint Kubiak are pretty excited as well. The moment finally arrived that they could make the pick they had been poised to make for as long as Mendoza had been expecting it.