Fernando Mendoza is Making His First Start. How Have Other No. 1 Picks Fared in their Debut?

The Fernando Mendoza era has arrived. After trading Kirk Cousins to the Vikings, the Raiders are officially turning it over to their rookie quarterback.

The Raiders opted to sit Mendoza for the first half of his rookie year to develop, while starting Cousins, who also was a mentor to the young quarterback. As the No. 1 pick in the draft, expectations will be high for Mendoza. But just how high should those expectations be? Mendoza is the first No. 1 pick that did not start in Week 1 since Baker Mayfield in 2018. He has had extra time to sit and prepare, though he is still a rookie and making his first career start against one of the best defenses in the league. If Mendoza’s first game doesn’t go great, it could be more of a reflection of the Seahawks’ defense than the young quarterback.

He also wouldn’t be the first No. 1 pick to struggle in his debut. Before Mendoza makes his first NFL start, here’s a look at how every No. 1 pick at quarterback over the past 10 years has played in their first start.

Cam Ward, Titans

2025: Week 1, 20–12 loss to Broncos
Stats: 12-of-28 (42.9%), 112 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, 4.0 YPA, six sacks, 54.5 passer rating

Cam Ward’s first start got off to a solid start as he completed seven of his first 10 passes for 64 yards. Ultimately, the Broncos’ vaunted pass rush caught up to him with six sacks, including two to knock the Titans out of field goal range in the fourth quarter and the game-sealing strip sack.

Caleb Williams, Bears

2024: Week 1, 24–17 win over Titans
Stats: 14-of-29 (48.3%) for 93 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, 3.2 YPA, two sacks, 55.7 rating

Caleb Williams won his first start, but the Bears didn’t need him to do much as the defense and special teams played an excellent game while Titans quarterback Will Levis threw a disastrous pick-six to give Chicago the lead. The game did foreshadow the Bears’ clutch genes under Williams as they overcame a 17–0 deficit to win.

MORE: Ranking Every QB Taken No. 1 in the NFL Draft

Bryce Young, Panthers

2023: Week 1, 24–10 loss to Falcons
Stats: 20-of-38 (52.6%), 146 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, 3.8 YPA, two sacks, 48.8 rating

Bryce Young has won four consecutive games against the Falcons, but his first start was a loss to Atlanta. The Panthers and Falcons were tied at 10 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, until Atlanta pulled away. Falcons All-Pro safety Jessie Bates III got the best of Young in the game, using his stellar instincts to pick off Young twice.

Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars

2021: Week 1, 37–21 loss to Texans
Stats: 28-of-51 (54.9%), 332 yards, three touchdowns, three interceptions, 6.5 YPA, one sack, 70.1 passer rating

Trevor Lawrence put up numbers in his first start, though much of that production came in garbage time after the Jaguars were already trailing the Texans 27–7 at the half. Lawrence threw two of his three picks in the second quarter, which contributed to Jacksonville falling behind early.

Joe Burrow, Bengals

2020: Week 1, 16–13 loss to the Chargers
Stats: 23-of-36 (63.9%), 193 yards, no touchdowns, one interception, three sacks, 5.4 YPA, 66.1 passer rating. 46 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown

Joe Burrow isn’t known for his running, but he showed off his wheels in his debut with a 23-yard rush touchdown. The Bengals had a chance to force overtime or even beat the Chargers in Burrow’s debut, but a Joe Mixon fumble, Burrow interception and missed field goal in the fourth quarter led to them falling short.

Kyler Murray, Cardinals

2019: Week 1, 27–27 tie vs. Lions
Stats: 29-of-54 (53.7%), 308 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, 5.7 YPA, five sacks, 75.2 passer rating

Kyler Murray went toe-to-toe with Matthew Stafford in his first start. With the Cardinals trailing 24–6 entering the fourth quarter, Murray led a field goal and two touchdown drives to force overtime. Both teams scored a field goal in overtime, and Murray’s career began with a rare tie.

Baker Mayfield, Browns

2018: Week 4, 45–42 OT loss to Raiders
Stats: 21-of-41 (51.2%), 295 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, 7.2 YPA, two sacks, 70.7 passer rating

Baker Mayfield already saw playing time before his first start when he came in for Tyrod Taylor to help the Browns beat the Jets in Week 3. His second game and first start turned into a shootout with the Derek Carr–led Raiders, which saw him throw for nearly 300 yards. The Raiders pulled away in overtime with a game-winning field goal drive.

Jared Goff, Rams

2016: Week 11, 14-10 loss to Dolphins
Stats: 17-of-31 (54.8%), 134 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, 4.3 YPA, one sack, 65.8 passer rating

Jared Goff went 0–7 as a rookie, starting with a loss to the Dolphins in his first start. Goff did begin the game well by leading the Rams to a 10–0 lead, but they were unable to hold on as Miami scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to come back and win.

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