Everybody in Sin City is excited about Fernando Mendoza, even Taco Bell. The Las Vegas Raiders’ No. 1 pick of the 2026 NFL Draft is already all over the city, courtesy of the popular fast food chain.
As soon as the Raiders made the pick official, Taco Bell celebrated the moment with a giant digital billboard in Las Vegas. The screen played a business-like PowerPoint layout of Mendoza’s profile, playing into the popular social media joke.
Fernando Mendoza just became the #1 overall pick. @tacobell responded the only way their Franchise Player deserved: A full corporate PowerPoint on the biggest billboard in Las Vegas. The draft class is set. The boardroom never looked better. #TacoBellPartner pic.twitter.com/LTZbFUCZ8S
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 24, 2026
Fans jokingly call Mendoza a businessman, both because of his look and his frequent usage of LinkedIn, a platform not commonly visited by active professional athletes. He even celebrated his draft moment with a LinkedIn post that would typically be made by a member of the front office, not the face of the franchise.
Taco Bell has been in the Mendoza business since February, when it inked him to what one can only assume was a lucrative endorsement deal. To nobody’s surprise, Mendoza announced the partnership on LinkedIn.
The 2025 Heisman Trophy winner is now the face of two multi-million-dollar corporations. He has yet to appear in any Taco Bell commercials, but expect those to come just around the corner.
As for the Raiders, Mendoza will soon team up with Ashton Jeanty, Brock Bowers and Maxx Crosby as he looks to turn around a lost franchise. Now onto its fourth head coach in as many years, Las Vegas has had just one winning campaign in the last nine seasons.
While everyone expects Mendoza to take the Raiders’ first offensive snap of the year, he will compete with veteran Kirk Cousins for the job in training camp. First-year head coach Klint Kubiak hinted at the possibility of starting Cousins to begin the 2026 season.
The post Raiders QB Fernando Mendoza gets massive Taco Bell shoutout after NFL Draft appeared first on ClutchPoints.
