Tom Brady Reportedly Will Attend Fernando Mendoza's Raiders Visit Amid NFL Draft Rumors

The Las Vegas Raiders are widely expected to select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2026 NFL draft, and football royalty who just so happens to have an ownership stake in the team will reportedly be part of the meeting process between the prospect and organization.

"I can tell you and report here that Tom Brady is in the building this week," ESPN's Peter Schrager reported Tuesday (1:58 mark). "And he will be at this meeting when it comes to the team. And that's a cool experience for them to get to know each other."

Schrager explained that Brady was Mendoza's "favorite player as a kid" and added "to have Tom Brady invested in you as a quarterback, it raises your expectations."

The future Hall of Famer is widely considered the greatest signal-caller in NFL history with a resume that includes seven Super Bowl titles, three league MVPs, five Super Bowl MVPs and 15 Pro Bowl selections. 

Having someone like that involved in the process is surely to make an impression on Mendoza, although nobody is expecting the Indiana product to follow in those footsteps.

Instead, the Raiders are surely hoping he develops into the face of the franchise and helps them make up the gap on the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC West.

Kansas City has five Super Bowl appearances in the last seven years, while Denver and Los Angeles are each coming off back-to-back playoff appearances of their own. Even after a busy offseason that included keeping Maxx Crosby after initially trading him to the Baltimore Ravens, the Raiders have some catching up to do in the immediate future.

And that will start with Mendoza under center.

All he did was lead the Hoosiers to an undefeated record, the Big Ten title and a College Football Playoff national championship this past season, which was particularly notable considering Indiana entered the campaign with the most losses in college football history.

This was not some traditional powerhouse that Mendoza led to championship glory, so he could be the perfect quarterback to guide the Raiders back into the playoff picture. 

If he does that, he will completely validate Brady's belief in him.