Raiders rookie Mendoza debuts in preseason, completes 97-yard performance

In the long tradition of young men stepping into the arena for the first time, Fernando Mendoza took his first professional snaps Thursday night under the Nevada lights, carrying with him the weight of a franchise's hopes. The Raiders, who selected the quarterback as their cornerstone investment, chose not to shield him from the moment but to place him squarely within it — four drives, 97 yards, and a first answer to the question every drafted player must eventually face. It is the beginning of a reckoning that will unfold slowly, game by game, as the organization measures whether its faith in