Fernando Mendoza is getting ready to begin his new chapter with the Las Vegas Raiders.It has been apparent for some time that the Heisman winner will be the No. 1 pick in Thursday’s NFL Draft.Mendoza has known his landing spot for some timeGettyThe Raiders have been making the most of their allotted meetings to start laying down ground work, while bringing in a veteran mentor in Kirk Cousins.In February, Mendoza had his first meeting with the Vegas front office and ESPN insider Adam Schefter shared some interesting insights.The former Indiana star hopped on a FaceTime call with co-owner Tom Brady — a player Mendoza he idolized who is expected to take on a big role in his development.After a five-minute chat, Schefter revealed that Mendoza spent 30-plus minutes drawing up plays on a whiteboard with the team’s staff.He wrote: “When their first meeting ended and Mendoza was leaving the room, he was visibly mad at himself and said loud enough for those around him to hear, ‘I messed that up.’“One Raiders scout walking with him insisted to him that he hadn’t, that Mendoza had done great. He did well enough to help convince Las Vegas to select him with the No. 1 pick, while leaving the team with the impression that its soon-to-be quarterback is always striving to improve.”The Raiders were awful in 2025 — there is a reason they are on the clock.A complete overhaul has taken place with Klint Kubiak appointed head coach and assembling a brand-new staff.Money has been spent in free agency, with over $280 million shelled out in an aggressive program. Only the Tennessee Titans spent more.It was expected that Maxx Crosby would join the Baltimore Ravens to offset some of that outlay, but the trade fell through and the Silver and Black are now planning to have the superstar lead what should be a much improved defense.The 2025 season saw Mendoza establish himself as a near-consensus No. 1 QB of 2026GettyBrady is a big fan of Mendoza’s attitudeGettyAll of the work so far has been conducted with a view to complement the draft.“That’s kind of the chess match of all of it, like the team-building part of it,” said general manager John Spytek. “So, we’re working through that right now, and we’ll figure that out.“But I mean, you can pass in free agency thinking you’re going to get one in the draft and then leave a massive hole on your roster too. So, we’ll come up with a strategy and attack it the best we can.”Fernando Mendoza compared to Matt RyanSchefter had a go at a player comp for Mendoza and if he’s right, the Raiders top brass and pass-catchers will be very happy.“If there were an NFL comparison for Mendoza, it might be former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who was the No. 3 pick in the 2008 draft,” he wrote. “Ryan measured 6-foot-5, Mendoza measured 6-foot-5. Ryan weighed 228 pounds, Mendoza weighs 236 pounds. Ryan’s arm length is 32⅝ inches, Mendoza’s arm length is 31⅞ inches. Ryan has 9½-inch hands, Mendoza has 9½-inch hands.”NFL's Greatest......Ranking the top 10......Quarterbacks of all-time – Can anyone better Tom Brady?Wide receivers of all-time – Does Randy Moss or Jerry Rice come out on top?Running backs of all-time – Stacking Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith and moreTight ends of all-time – How does Travis Kelce compare?The No. 1 pick is no sure-fire thing.Just look at the then Oakland Raiders and their painful Jamarcus Russell experiment.But Mendoza’s personality has struck all the right notes throughout his college career.Dedication, generosity, leadership, it is all there.And if he felt he underperformed in what the Raiders saw as a great meeting, imagine what he can do at his best.Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for news, exclusive interviews and more.