Fernando Mendoza, Indiana Hoosiers
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(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
The Las Vegas Raiders hold the No. 1 pick, and the speculation is that the team will take former Indiana Hoosiers QB, Fernando Mendoza. However, could the Silver and Black decide not to take Mendoza and trade the pick?
With the NFL Draft nearing, every analyst and NFL pundit will be weighing in on what Las Vegas should be doing, whether it’s best to trade the pick for more draft picks and punt on drafting a QB in the later rounds, or next year, when many see a deeper and better class at the position.
Despite the Raiders needing a franchise signal-caller and Mendoza potentially being that, former NFL player and ESPN Radio host Chris Canty believes that the team should auction off the No. 1 pick to the highest bidder.
“Whether or not you think Ty Simpson or Fernando Mendoza is the best quarterback prospect in this draft is subjective, but what [ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky] just pointed out tells me there is no can’t-miss quarterback prospect in this draft,”Canty said on the March 23 edition of UNSPORTSMANLIKE. “If that’s the case, then the Las Vegas Raiders need to hold an auction for the No. 1 overall pick.
“If you have a quarterback prospect, whether it’s Mendoza or Ty Simpson, No. 1 on your board, and it’s debatable whether or not you can mess this kid up, then you should probably consider trading down if there’s a team that’s willing to give you a king’s ransom to move up to No. 1 to take either one of them, whether that ends up being the New York Jets, the Arizona Cardinals, or the Cleveland Browns.”
Raiders Should Look at Teams With Two First Round Picks
Moreover, Canty says, because there are teams with multiple first-round picks, the Raiders should be listening, considering that the team is undergoing a multi-year rebuild and there’s no quick fix.
“These franchises that have multiple first-round picks, these franchises that are listless when it comes to being able to find a franchise guy, you should be auctioning that pick off because if you’re the Raiders, you understand that this is a multi-year rebuild that you are about to undergo with your new head coach, Klint Kubiak,” Canty added. “The best thing that you can do is stockpile picks so you can acquire top-tier talent.”
2026 NFL Draft Class Isn’t the Best
Canty also spotlights that teams are using draft picks and free agency more this offseason to find players that can help them in 2026, understanding that this year’s draft class isn’t the most impressive, and that’s where the Raiders can seize their opportunity.
“What the NFL has told us with the volume of trades that we’ve seen in the first month of the new league year is that they don’t feel great about this year’s draft,” Canty said. “We’ve had 19 trades this offseason, which is three more than any other offseason before the draft, and we still have a month to go before teams are on the clock.
“You’re having that level of veteran player movement because teams are trying to aggressively fulfill needs by throwing money at the problem and draft picks at the problem to get players that they can rely on in 2026 because they’re not sure about what’s coming out of the collegiate ranks. If you’re putting all of these things together, it’s pointing to the Las Vegas Raiders needing to make the decision to trade down and trade out of that No. 1 overall pick.”