Raiders owner Mark Davis reflects on the No. 1 draft pick's potential, haunted by past busts, as he eyes a Heisman-winning QB.
The Las Vegas Raiders' forgettable 2025 NFL season is long behind them as they turn over a new leaf.
The Raiders brought in Klint Kubiak as the new head coach, and all signs point to Indiana Hoosiers quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza being the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Raiders even moved up their scheduled visit with Mendoza, with that news coming on the same day that Las Vegas agreed to a deal with veteran QB Kirk Cousins, meaning Cousins will likely be the Week 1 starter as Mendoza learns the ropes of the NFL.
During the NFL Annual League Meeting this past week, Raider owner Mark Davis was asked about having the No. 1 overall pick.
And, while Mendoza is almost certainly the choice, Davis expressed some caution due to a top pick bust that took place in the past.
"Having the first pick in the draft is exciting because we kind of control the draft - we get to make the decision on who we're gonna pick," Davis said, via Paul Gutierrez of Raiders.com. "But we've had that position before, and it didn't work out. So there's no magic bullet there, but it's a great opportunity to get a great player, whoever they decide to pick.
While Davis didn't exactly say it, that likely refers to JaMarcus Russell, who was selected first overall in the 2007 NFL Draft and played just three seasons with Las Vegas.
In hindsight, the only other QB in the first round of that draft was Brady Quinn, so it wasn't much better. But, it also doesn't help that Calvin Johnson went No. 2 and both Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch went in the top 20.
Nonetheless, the Raiders needed a quarterback, and Russell looked like a star after a stellar run at LSU, so not many saw that performance coming.
Mendoza, on the other hand, capped off his college career with an undefeated season and a national title along with a Heisman Trophy, and he is the No. 1 QB in the draft.
It would be shocking if Mendoza turned out like Russell, although you never know with college quarterbacks making the transition to the NFL.
Right now, all signs point to Mendoza being the selection and the Hoosiers QB being the face of the Raiders for the next half-decade, at least, but we won't know until the NFL Draft gets closer.