by: Steve Samra 6 hours ago SamraSource
Consensus No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza is keeping his focus on the NFL Draft process. However, that hasn’t stopped the Indiana legend from openly admiring the football minds shaping his potential future.
Appearing on Friday’s edition of The Pat McAfee Show , Mendoza spoke at length about the offensive concepts he’s studied. He decided to single out Klint Kubiak and the system he’s become known for.
“We actually had a little bit of a Kubiak, kind of McVay system,” Mendoza said, explaining his familiarity with outside-zone concepts, play-action and bootlegs. “The way he’s able to incorporate outside-zone and get to the edge, then build play-action off of that. The way he’s developed Sam Darnold has been phenomenal.”
Mendoza noted that even before Kubiak emerged as the leading candidate to become the next head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders , he had already been watching breakdowns of his offense as a football fan. He pointed to the rapid rise of the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots as examples of how structure and quarterback development can quickly change a franchise’s trajectory.
“The Seahawks and the Patriots went from fringe teams to Super Bowl contenders,” Mendoza added. “I’m a huge fan of his work.”