Fernando Mendoza, Las Vegas Raiders
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(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
The Las Vegas Raidersare projected to take former Indiana Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick. Mendoza is the top signal-caller in his draft class, which isn’t a deep class filled with promising draft prospects.
As a result, many question where Mendoza would rank in a deeper QB class. Nonetheless, ESPN NFL analyst Field Yates sees only three signal-callers he would rank higher than the 22-year-old over the last three draft classes.
“I would say over the past three drafts, because that 2024 draft was so special, that Mendoza’s grade for me is higher than every player at the quarterback spot except for Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye, who we may look back at that draft soon, definitely within the next decade or so, and say that was a league‑altering draft,”Yates said said on the Feb. 21 edition of “Golic & Golic.”
“… I think Mendoza would slide in behind those three, so ahead of the likes of Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy, Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart last season. So I think that Mendoza, even if he isn’t quite at the level of those three guys from the 2024 class, is not only the best in this class amongst the quarterbacks this year, I think he’s the best player in the class regardless of position this season.”
Raiders Receive Concerning Take
As the NFL Draft in April draws near, questions will arise about whether the Raiders can put the right pieces in place to make Mendoza successful. FS1’s Colin Cowherd is concerned about whether the Raiders can do exactly that.
“I look at Caleb Williams, his first year, hit all sorts of sacks and negative plays,”Cowherd said on the Feb. 16 edition of “The Herd.” “Why would that be? Because his coach stunk. I don’t worry about Fernando Mendoza. I worry about the Raiders as his parent in this league.
“Bad offensive line. Even if Klint Kubiak is a good coach, he’ll probably be the fourth‑best coach in his division. Ownership is impulsive and ridiculously impatient. I don’t have a Mendoza issue. I have a Mendoza‑to‑the‑Raiders issue.”
Rich Gannon Talks Fernando Mendoza
Meanwhile, former Raiders QB Rich Gannon didn’t hold back on his thoughts regarding Mendoza should Las Vegas decide he’s their franchise signal-caller.
“I still think it’s early in the process, “ Gannon told reporters on Feb. 10 (h/tVegas Sports Today). “I mean, there’s a lot to like there when you look at his body of work. He’s got a lot of the qualities and tangibles you love with that position: Toughness, accuracy, competitiveness, and leadership skills.
“It’s just a matter of sorting through all the tape, just like these guys are going to do, and really trying to figure out who’s the best player for the Raiders in 2026.”
Furthermore, Gannon also spoke on the Raiders’ broadcast after the Kubiak press conference on Feb. 10 and noted that if Las Vegas does select Mendoza, he supports letting the young QB sit and watch until he’s ready.
“That’s the ideal situation,“Gannon said. “I know with Aaron [Rodgers], he was not happy sitting for three years, but as it turned out, it was a pretty good deal for him.
“Nobody who comes from the college game is ready to play right away. There’s nobody. There’s so much of a learning curve, and so if you can go somewhere and have a veteran quarterback, get a chance to play, get your feet wet.”