Top overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza will wear jersey No. 15 with the Las Vegas Raiders.
The selection of that jersey number comes with the blessing of Hall of Famer Tom Flores, a two-time Super Bowl-winning head coach of the Raiders as well as the first quarterback in franchise history. Flores wore the No. 15 with the then-Oakland Raiders from 1960-66.
"He deserves my blessing," Flores said, per the team website. "Because if he's not the real deal, I don't know what the hell I'm doing."
Flores,
89, didn't stop there.
"He's perfect," Flores said of Mendoza. "He can make every throw. He can make the plays. What can't he do? He does it all. He's fun to watch. ... Plus, he's a good-looking kid. Like me."
Mendoza repaid the compliment upon hearing it.
"He's more handsome than me," Mendoza said. "But, it speaks to the testament of once a Raider, always a Raider. Of how involved the alumni is. And I'm so blessed to be a part of this organization. I can't thank (Flores) enough. I'm so blessed."
Flores, obviously, wasn't the only player to wear No. 15 with the Raiders, who don't retire jersey numbers. Fellow quarterbacks Jeff Hostetler, Matt Flynn and Gardner Minshew II have won the number, as well as wide receivers Michael Crabtree and Nelson Agholor.
Mendoza, 22, provided the signature moment to his epic season with a dive across the goal line on fourth down in the No. 1 Hoosiers' 27-21 victory over No. 10 Miami in the College Football Playoff national championship game on Jan. 19.
Listed at 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, Mendoza completed 72% of his passes for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns this past season. He also rushed for 276 yards and seven scores in his lone season with Indiana after transferring from Cal (2023-24).
--Field Level Media
