Mendoza Goes Under Center at Raiders Camp and This Changes Everything for Vegas
The Las Vegas Raiders are making a fundamental shift with their first overall pick. F. Mendoza, the quarterback out of Indiana, is working under center in rookie camp this offseason. It sounds like a small detail. It is not. This is a critical transition for a guy who is supposed to be the franchise's quarterback of the future.
What Under Center Actually Means
Mendoza spent his college career at Indiana operating out of shotgun. That is how most modern offenses run it. But the Raiders are teaching him to take snaps from under center, meaning he is directly behind the center, receiving the ball in his hands rather than from a distance. It requires a different footwork pattern, different timing with receivers, and a completely different feel for the pocket. For a rookie, that is a lot to process in May.
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👉 Claim Your Free $10 at KalshiThis is not unusual in professional football. Plenty of college QBs come into the NFL and learn the under center approach. But it also shows the Raiders are being intentional about how they want Mendoza to operate. They are not just handing him an offense and saying go. They are building him from the ground up.
The Long Game in Vegas
Mendoza was picked first overall. That is the weight of a franchise on your shoulders. Everything matters when you are the number one pick. How he learns the fundamentals, how he processes the reads, how he handles the pressure. Working under center in rookie camp is part of that evaluation. The Raiders are not rushing anything. They are developing him methodically.
The NFL offseason is where expectations get set and foundations get built. What happens in May carries into August, then into the regular season. If Mendoza can master the under center mechanics now, it pays dividends when games count.
Keep an eye on how this transition develops through OTAs and training camp. The Raiders' entire 2026 season could hinge on how smooth this adjustment goes.
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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.