The opening night of the 2026 NFL Draft was full of surprises.What wasn’t a surprise however, was the fact that the Las Vegas Raiders selected Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick.The Las Vegas Raiders selected Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pickGettyMendoza collapsed into his mom’s arms as his journey from back-up to Heisman winner reached its end on Thursday night.The 22-year-old joins a franchise that has desperately searched for a franchise quarterback, and will be hoping this pick has ended their wait.As minority owner, the extent to which Tom Brady was involved in the selection is yet to be determined.The greatest quarterback of all time sent a message congratulating the rookies who were selected on Day 1, and also, a direct note to Mendoza.“Congratulations to all the rookies who are joining the NFL this weekend. I hope you can appreciate this special moment… you’ve earned it through hard work, discipline, and determination,” Brady posted on X.“You’ve made your family proud, along with everyone else on your journey that has supported you. “But this is just the beginning. When you wake up tomorrow morning, just know that your career will be defined by what happens going forward. You’ll need to take everything you do to the next level in order to compete with the world’s best.“Welcome to Las Vegas @fernandomendoza. Time to get to work. |@Raiders”More to follow…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 all the news, exclusives, interviews and more.