NFL Draft’s No. 1 Pick Fernando Mendoza Praises God: ‘I Can’t Thank Him Enough’
Fernando Mendoza, the Indiana quarterback who stormed college football with faith and clutch plays, was chosen No. 1 overall by the Las Vegas Raiders. He stepped to the podium and directed the spotlight where he always has—upward. The message was simple and sharp: gratitude to God and readiness to work.
A Faith-Fueled Rise
Mendoza’s college run read like a movie: a Heisman, a national title and a flawless 16-0 season that turned skeptics into believers. He made faith central to how he led, talked and prepared, and that thread followed him into draft night. Teams saw a winner on the field and a leader off it, the kind who steadies a locker room as much as he stuns defenses.
Mendoza made his faith a public cornerstone all season and did so again during an interview on ESPN.
“The last five months have been such a blessing by God, and I can’t thank Him enough,” Mendoza said. “I’m just looking forward to get to work, prove [myself] at the next level. College was fantastic. I’m so blessed to have that career, but now I step into a great game of the NFL. [I] look forward to proving and earning it every single day.”
The Raiders are hoping Mendoza can become the linchpin for a franchise that has long searched for consistency. Las Vegas has bright spots in its history but has struggled for sustained success in recent decades, and Mendoza’s calm confidence fits the bill of change. He described the organization in glowing terms and sounded eager to immerse himself in the work.
“I’m looking forward to talking to coaches, owners,” he said. “I’m ecstatic for the opportunity.”
What This Means For Vegas
Beyond arm talent and reads, Mendoza brought a routine centered on stillness and prayer that he credits with keeping him composed. “I honestly don’t listen to hype songs because I have to stay cool, calm, and collected,” Mendoza said. “I actually meditate before the game. I meditate. I pray. I think praying is, in a way, meditation to help myself be in my thoughts.”
That spiritual life is not private theater for Mendoza; it’s public and rooted. After winning the Heisman he returned to the campus Catholic center to share the moment with mentors who had shaped him. “He told us ‘This Church and you all are a major reason why this happened,’” Patrick Hyde, pastor of the St. Paul Catholic Center, said on X/Twitter. “Praise God from whom all blessings flow!”
Friday night’s draft was full of similar language from other new pros, a reminder that faith remains a visible current in locker rooms. Names like Caleb Downs (Dallas), Jordyn Tyson (New Orleans), Makai Lemon (Philadelphia), and Ty Simpson (Los Angeles Rams) also spoke openly about belief. “First off, I want to give all the glory to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” Simpson, a star quarterback at Alabama, told ESPN. “The fact that I’m here on the NFL stage of the draft, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Him.”
Mendoza’s selection will be measured in wins, not words, but his public commitment to God changes expectations for how he will handle pressure and leadership. A quarterback who prays, meditates and credits a higher purpose brings a different kind of steadiness to a franchise seeking revival. If his college pattern holds, Las Vegas may have just drafted not only talent but a temperament primed for the long grind.