CC Sabathia, Las Vegas Raiders
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(Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
This week, there have been questions about whether the Las Vegas Raiders will get the best QB in the draft if they take Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick. As a result, there’s been debate over whether the Raiders should trade from that top spot.
Mendoza had a passer rating of 182.9 with 3,535 yards, 41 touchdowns, and six interceptions in 16 games in 2025 for the Indiana Hoosiers, per StatMuse. Moreover, this production led to a Heisman Trophy and a national title.
After winning the national title, many assumed that Mendoza was the top QB in this 2026 draft class. However, now there’s been talk that it’s Ty Simpson.On the March 25 edition of “Up & Adams,” Raiders fan and former New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia got blunt about his team potentially selecting Mendoza in a few weeks.
“Fernando Mendoza, for sure,” Sabathia told Adams about who the Raiders should draft. “I don’t understand how he’s not the best quarterback when he won the Heisman and he ran the table for the College Football Playoff. It’s incredible to me how we just watch these guys, all this film on themall fall.
“All winter they do their thing in January, and then a week before the draft it’s like, ‘Oh, maybe he’s not the best quarterback.’ I really don’t understand it. So, for me, I got a chance to watch him. He’s a tough guy, and I’m just excited, hopefully for [the Raiders] to take him and for him to lead the franchise.”
Raiders Shouldn’t Overthink Fernando Mendoza
Moreover, Sabathia hopes the Raiders don’t overthink the situation and draft Mendoza as their franchise QB rather than listening to the outside noise.
“It happens every year where, like, we watch whoever, whatever quarterback it is, whatever player it is,” Sabathia added. “We watch them all fall all winter in college in the SEC, Big Ten, whatever.
“Then a month before the draft, whoever makes up these mock drafts is like, ‘Oh, maybe this guy at the bottom of the draft, maybe this guy from North Dakota State, whatever, is the best quarterback.’ It just is incredible to me. But that’s how, you know, that’s how people keep their jobs and keep things going. And, you know, the NFL stays in the news. It’s actually genius, to be honest.”
Jalen Nailor Talks Fernando Mendoza
If the Silver and Black do decide to select Mendoza, Jalen Nailor would be one of the targets that the rookie signal caller will be throwing the ball to. Ahead of the draft, Nailor shared his thoughts on Mendoza as many expect the 22-year-old to be the Raiders’ next franchise QB.
“[Mendoza is] a football guy,”Nailor told Kay Adams on the March 19 edition of “Up & Adams.” “He’s a football player. He wants to win. The touch he has on his passes, those accurate passes that he makes, really pops out.
“He’s a mobile quarterback; he can get on the ground and run a little bit. Just to have those aspects of him as a quarterback, he’s tall as well, so seeing over the line won’t be an issue. He has all the things you want in a quarterback.”