The 2026 NFL Draft is as close as ever to taking place. On Thursday night, anything is liable to happen, but the one thing everyone knows for certain is that Fernando Mendoza will be the first overall pick.

The former Indiana Hoosiers quarterback will be the new face of the franchise for the Las Vegas Raiders. Mendoza brings him with an impressive skillset, with his overall moxie and polish being complemented by great arm strength and accuracy. That arm talent might only translate to football, if Mendoza’s recent first pitch at a Miami Marlins game is anything to go off of.

Fernando Mendoza’s polarizing first pitch shows he’s a true quarterback

Mendoza stepped up to the mound for the ceremonial first pitch on Tuesday night, but he looked nothing like a baseball pitcher. Instead, he very much looked like a quarterback as he lobbed the baseball towards the catcher. The pitch ended up going very high and to the right.

It was far from the worst first pitch fans have ever seen. It was actually decent, all things considered, but it didn’t stop many from criticizing the inaccuracy of the pitch. Despite a small subsection of critics, plenty of fans came to Mendoza’s defense, explaining that: “Anyone that’s played both sports knows that throwing a baseball is very different from throwing a football“.

Now, if Mendoza would have completely missed the target and made a fool of himself, it would have been a bigger story. This was simply a case of a football player throwing a baseball with the wrong form.