The Las Vegas Raiders have plenty of draft capital, and they definitely need it to revamp their broken roster. But the Raiders are also holding the hole card in the upcoming draft in April, and they could use it to get even more given that the first round of this year’s draft is currently a one-quarterback affair.
According to a report from Connor Byrne of ProFootballRumors.com, that first pick is “virtually unattainable” via a trade, which makes sense given that just 13 teams have traded out of the top slot since the NFL/AFL merger back in 1967.
Nearly everyone is sure the Raiders are going to draft Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza with that pick, but new coach Klint Kubiak hasn’t nailed down that possibility just yet. His comments about Mendoza to date have been neutral and rather lukewarm, although that could just be strategic to avoid revealing the Raiders’ offseason plans.
But Brady is dead set on getting Mendoza, according to a quote in the report from a GM.
“You aren’t getting that pick from Brady,” a GM in the market for QB help told Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom.
But as Byrne points out, the Miami Dolphins reportedly offered the Cincinnati Bengals four first-round picks for Joe Burrow back in 2020. Would the Raiders be enticed if another team went off the rails and did something similar?
“Is somebody going to throw three ones (first-round picks) at them to draft the kid from Indiana?” a GM asked La Canfora, although is wasn’t clear in Byrne’s report of that question came from the same GM. “That’s not going to happen. They’re drafting the quarterback.”
It’s a fascinating thought exercise, though, at the very least. Most evaluators would agree that Mendoza is nowhere near Burrow in terms of quarterback talent, and Mendoza was rated a “solid NFL starter” recently by Pro Football Focus.
What complicates the thought process even further is that Kubiak worked with quarterback Geno Smith when they were both with the Seattle Seahawks and had some success with him. Kubiak also got a Super Bowl ring as an offensive coordinator with Sam Darnold as his quarterback, so what if he doesn’t think Mendoza is all that?
If that’s the case, it would make sense for the Raiders to trade back and revamp the roster, although Smith’s fate would remain uncertain given that Las Vegas is on the hook to pay $18 million this year regardless of what they do, plus another $8 million in injury protection money that gets tacked on in March.
No one actually thinks the Raiders would do this, but it does complicate the quarterback decision much more than the usual “take the quarterback” approach to NFL drafting.