Fernando Mendoza Madden rating: Video game reveals Raiders rookie's rating for 2026 season

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Fernando Mendoza doesn't know when he will become the Raiders' starting quarterback, but he's now part of the NFL fraternity and received a rite of passage on Wednesday: his first-ever Madden rating.

All rookie quarterback ratings for Madden 27 were revealed on Wednesday, along with the top 10 ratings at the position.

Mendoza has a long way to go to jump into the latter group, but EA Sports is showing more confidence in him than it did in Cam Ward a year ago.

Here's a first look at Mendoza's first career Madden rating and how it compares to other rookie quarterbacks.

MORE: Madden 27 ratings tracker

Fernando Mendoza Madden rating

Mendoza was given a Madden rating of 74, two higher than Ward's initial rating a year ago and right in line with 2023 No. 1 pick Bryce Young's rookie rating.

Of the last eight quarterbacks selected No. 1 overall, Mendoza's 74 ranks tied for fifth, trailing Baker Mayfield, Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow and Caleb Williams. Mendoza is even with Young, and his 74 is higher than what Kyler Murray and Ward received as rookies.

Unlike most No. 1 overall picks, Mendoza faces the real possibility of entering his rookie season as a backup. The Raiders seem intent on giving Kirk Cousins the best chance to be the team's starting quarterback, so it's unclear whether that knocked Mendoza's Madden rating down at all.

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Rookie QB Madden ratings 2026

Mendoza unsurprisingly tops the charts among rookie quarterbacks:

QBRatingTeam
Fernando Mendoza74Raiders
Ty Simpson71Rams
Drew Allar68Steelers
Carson Beck68Cardinals
Cade Klubnik67Jets
Cole Payton67Eagles
Haynes King65Panthers
Luke Altmyer65Lions
Taylen Green65Browns

In a weak quarterback class, Ty Simpson is the only other rookie at the position to receive a Madden rating of 70 or higher. Mendoza and Simpson are followed by Drew Allar and Carson Beck, who both enter 2026 at 68.

All-time No. 1 pick Madden ratings

Here's a look at the Madden ratings for every No. 1 pick in the game's history, from Michael Vick to Mendoza:

YearGamePlayerRating
2001Madden 02Michael Vick72
2002Madden 03Derek Carr76
2003Madden 04Carson Palmer79
2004Madden 05Eli Manning81
2005Madden 06Alex Smith82
2006Madden 07Mario Williams86
2007Madden 08JaMarcus Russell82
2008Madden 09Jake Long85
2009Madden 10Matthew Stafford79
2010Madden 11Sam Bradford80
2011Madden 12Cam Newton77
2012Madden 13Andrew Luck84
2013Madden 25Eric Fisher84
2014Madden 15Jadeveon Clowney83
2015Madden 16Jameis Winston81
2016Madden 17Jared Goff77
2017Madden 18Myles Garrett83
2018Madden 19Baker Mayfield81
2019Madden 20Kyler Murray73
2020Madden 21Joe Burrow76
2021Madden 22Trevor Lawrence78
2022Madden 23Travon Walker76
2023Madden 24Bryce Young74
2024Madden 25Caleb Williams75
2025Madden 26Cam Ward72
2026Madden 27Fernando Mendoza74
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