The Measurements — Combine, Not Drills
Mendoza checked in at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at 6-foot-4¾ and 236 pounds, with a 9½-inch hand and a 31⅞-inch arm — measurements that produced a 76¾-inch wingspan, nearly identical to Josh Allen's 77 inches as a prospect. The comparisons wrote themselves: Allen entered the league at 6'5", 237 pounds, a near carbon copy of Mendoza's frame. Analysts were also quick to note his hands are the same size as or larger than Tom Brady's, Lamar Jackson's, and Sam Darnold's — well within normal range for the position, despite some early social-media chatter calling them small.
What Mendoza didn't do at the combine is just as notable as what he did. He skipped every on-field drill — no 40-yard dash, no vertical, no broad jump, no throwing session in Indianapolis. His agents made the calculation that a presumptive No. 1 pick has far more to lose than gain from a bad rep or a slow split. He carried that same approach into his pro day on April 1, where he ran no timed drills at all — only a throwing session, completing 53 of 56 attempts, including his first 23 in a row.
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NFL Combine Guide →How His Frame Compares
The Josh Allen comparison is the one that matters most for Raiders fans, since Allen's combine profile is one of the clearest recent examples of a big, mobile quarterback whose measurements translated directly into professional durability and off-platform playmaking. Mendoza is an eighth of an inch shorter and a pound lighter than Allen was as a prospect — a difference so small it's effectively the same build. Whether that translates to the same level of NFL production is an entirely separate question the measurements can't answer.
The Preseason Debut — First Real Data Point
With no combine drills and a throwing-only pro day, Mendoza's first genuine athletic test as a professional came in his preseason debut against the Arizona Cardinals in mid-August. Playing 31 snaps behind veteran Kirk Cousins, who continues to run the starting offense, Mendoza completed 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown, adding two carries for 6 yards on the ground.
| Stat | Preseason Debut vs Cardinals |
|---|---|
| Completions | 10-of-16 (62.5%) |
| Passing Yards | 97 |
| Touchdowns | 1 (to Jack Bech) |
| Rushing | 2 carries, 6 yards |
| PFF Overall Grade | 66.7 |
| Sacks Taken | 1 |
His touchdown throw was a tight-window laser to Jack Bech on third-and-goal, and his best individual play of the night came off play-action — a 19-yard strike between three defenders. Head coach Klint Kubiak called him "an ascending player" postgame, noting he ran the huddle and handled play calls the same way he had in practice. It wasn't a flawless outing; Mendoza acknowledged some throws lacked the timing and anticipation Cousins shows consistently, an area he said he still needs to develop.
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