The Las Vegas Raiders will be selecting Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza when it's their time to make the first selection in the 2026 NFL draft.
The 2026 National Football League draft kicks off this Thursday, and the Las Vegas Raiders will be on the clock first.
Everyone knows that the Raiders are going to select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner and National Champion, with the No. 1 overall pick. The Pittsburgh native won’t be in attendance to hear his name called and walk the stage to greet NFL commissioner Roger Goodell; he will spend the moment with his family at home instead.
Regardless of where he is when his name is called, there will be tons of phone calls and FaceTimes from anyone and everyone, and that likely includes Raiders minority owner Tom Brady.
Mendoza and Brady have been in contact before and they will probably be in contact throughout the duration of his career, but the first FaceTime between the two occurred in February when Mendoza first met with the Raiders at the scouting combine.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Mendoza and Brady exchanged pleasantries for five minutes before Mendoza met with team staff for the next 30ish minutes to draw plays on a whiteboard.
But Schefter noted that Mendoza thought he botched the session, writing that the 22-year-old was visibly frustrated with himself and even spoke loudly about messing the session up.
“One Raiders scout walking with him insisted to him that he hadn't, that Mendoza had done great,” Schefter wrote Monday. “He did well enough to help convince Las Vegas to select him with the No. 1 pick, while leaving the team with the impression that its soon-to-be quarterback is always striving to improve.
“But the Raiders have also created an ideal situation for him by signing Kirk Cousins. Vegas paid Cousins like a starter and is now leaning on him to take away some of the pressure.”
Raiders general manager John Spytek has stated publicly that the best players are going to get snaps for this team, and if that’s Mendoza, great. If it’s not, great; Cousins will be a viable option to start as long as the team needs him to.
Las Vegas did a great job by not only acquiring a quarterback whose playstyle resembles that of Mendoza, but a veteran that has tons of experience and knows how to win in this league. Cousins may start to begin the year if the organization deems that Mendoza isn’t ready to walk in and start in Week 1, and if that’s the case, Mendoza will sit, watch and learn as Cousins teaches him the ropes.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. doesn’t think Mendoza will wait long to start, but even if it takes longer than anticipated, that won’t be the worst thing for his development. Ensuring that Mendoza is protected and ready to go before being thrown into the fire is essential for the health of not only the QB but also the organization as it embarks on a true rebuild.