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:
| QB | Rating | Team |
| Fernando Mendoza | 74 | Raiders |
| Ty Simpson | 71 | Rams |
| Drew Allar | 68 | Steelers |
| Carson Beck | 68 | Cardinals |
| Cade Klubnik | 67 | Jets |
| Cole Payton | 67 | Eagles |
| Haynes King | 65 | Panthers |
| Luke Altmyer | 65 | Lions |
| Taylen Green | 65 | Browns |
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:
| Year | Game | Player | Rating |
| 2001 | Madden 02 | Michael Vick | 72 |
| 2002 | Madden 03 | Derek Carr | 76 |
| 2003 | Madden 04 | Carson Palmer | 79 |
| 2004 | Madden 05 | Eli Manning | 81 |
| 2005 | Madden 06 | Alex Smith | 82 |
| 2006 | Madden 07 | Mario Williams | 86 |
| 2007 | Madden 08 | JaMarcus Russell | 82 |
| 2008 | Madden 09 | Jake Long | 85 |
| 2009 | Madden 10 | Matthew Stafford | 79 |
| 2010 | Madden 11 | Sam Bradford | 80 |
| 2011 | Madden 12 | Cam Newton | 77 |
| 2012 | Madden 13 | Andrew Luck | 84 |
| 2013 | Madden 25 | Eric Fisher | 84 |
| 2014 | Madden 15 | Jadeveon Clowney | 83 |
| 2015 | Madden 16 | Jameis Winston | 81 |
| 2016 | Madden 17 | Jared Goff | 77 |
| 2017 | Madden 18 | Myles Garrett | 83 |
| 2018 | Madden 19 | Baker Mayfield | 81 |
| 2019 | Madden 20 | Kyler Murray | 73 |
| 2020 | Madden 21 | Joe Burrow | 76 |
| 2021 | Madden 22 | Trevor Lawrence | 78 |
| 2022 | Madden 23 | Travon Walker | 76 |
| 2023 | Madden 24 | Bryce Young | 74 |
| 2024 | Madden 25 | Caleb Williams | 75 |
| 2025 | Madden 26 | Cam Ward | 72 |
| 2026 | Madden 27 | Fernando Mendoza | 74 |

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