It's been difficult for Fernando Mendoza to keep his emotions in check this week.

Days leading up to Thursday night, he was preparing to hear his name called at the NFL Draft – with the whole world all but certain he'd be selected first overall to the Las Vegas Raiders. Feeling overwhelmed hours leading into the draft, he had to keep reminding himself "to hold it in, it hasn't even happened yet."

Then the moment finally came.

His phone rang with a call from Raiders GM John Spytek.

As celebration started to ring out at his home in Coral Springs, Florida, his mother leaned over to say something that would ultimately bring him to tears.

"Heard my mom say, 'I'm so proud of you' and that kind of broke me there," Mendoza said via Zoom after being drafted.

Mendoza's emotion reflects a long, hard-fought journey that began well before leading Indiana to a national championship

His underdog story began as a two-star high school prospect from Christopher Columbus High School, just a handful of miles away from his home where he took tonight's draft phone call. Cal Berkeley was the only Power 5 program to offer him a scholarship. He ultimately spent two seasons as their starting quarterback, later transferring to Indiana.

A magical 16-0 season with a national championship and Heisman Trophy ensued. Yet, he enters the NFL with the same chip on the shoulder he had as the No. 250 overall prospect coming out of Florida in 2022.

"I believe I'm still the underdog," Mendoza said. "Although the draft was today .... although I was picked today one out of 32 - I'm not one out of 32 quarterbacks at this moment. So, I need to work every single day possible, because I'm on the bottom of the totem pole. ... I've go to first earn the respect to my teammates, earn that equity, and I've also just got to immerse, and I'm just ready to do whatever the team needs and calls me to do to help them win."

He's already off to a good start as the newest Raider, telling the media Thursday that he's specifically trained this offseason to work on West Coast offense concepts and familiarize himself with Klint Kubiak's system.

"[T]his scheme, it really allows the quarterback to be a point guard," Mendoza said. "I believe that my job – we have so many great playmakers, whether from the outside, tight end, running back or offensive line, I just need to get the ball to the playmakers and do my part of the offense and be my 1/11th."

Now after receiving the call of a lifetime, Mendoza will board a flight from Miami to Las Vegas, where he'll step foot in the team's headquarters to greet Raider Nation.

"[D]eep down, in my heart, I knew the Raiders are most likely going to be the best fit because of the coaching staff," he said. "I think it really fits my play-style great, with all the great teammates on offense and defense, they're stacked. ... I think all the stars are aligning here, and this is a blessing, this position."