With the quarterback-needy Raiders owning the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, there is an overwhelming expectation they will select Indiana signal-caller Fernando Mendoza. Last year’s Heisman Trophy winner will visit the Raiders in two weeks, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Mendoza, who will take part in Indiana’s pro day on April 1, was a resounding success in his lone season with the Hoosiers. After transferring from California, where he threw 30 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 19 starts from 2023-24, Mendoza found a new gear in helping transform Indiana into a national championship-winning powerhouse. While guiding the Hoosiers to a stunning 16-0 record, Mendoza completed 72% of passes, threw for 3,535 yards on 9.3 per attempt and tossed 41 touchdowns against six picks.
Comparing the 6-foot-5, 236-pounder to former Falcons MVP-winning quarterback Matt Ryan, Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com ranks Mendoza as the top prospect in this year’s class at any position. With Oregon’s Dante Moore and Texas’ Arch Manning opting to stay in school for at least another year, Mendoza is widely considered the only QB in the running to go first overall. The Raiders have not taken a first-round QB since they chose all-time bust JaMarcus Russell at No. 1 in 2007, but they are poised to end that 18-year streak next month.
Assuming Mendoza heads to Las Vegas in a few weeks, he will become the central figure in a significant rebuild. The Raiders flamed out en route to a league-worst 3-14 record under the head coach-quarterback duo of Pete Carroll and Geno Smith in 2025. Team brass (owner Mark Davis, part-owner Tom Brady and general manager John Spytek) brought in Carroll and Smith in an effort to compete last season, but those two are already out of the organization.
Rookie head coach Klint Kubiak, the offensive coordinator of the Super Bowl-winning Seahawks last season, will play a major role in developing Mendoza. After hiring Kubiak, the Raiders beefed up their roster in advance of Mendoza’s arrival. As part of a free agent spending spree, they added center Tyler Linderbaum, linebackers Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker, defensive end Kwity Paye and receiver Jalen Nailor, among others.
While the Raiders nearly traded their best player, defensive end Maxx Crosby, the Ravens backed out of a deal that would have sent two first-rounders to Las Vegas. Although trade rumors centering on Crosby persist, retaining him would boost the team’s odds of improving in Year 1 of the Mendoza era.
Had the Crosby blockbuster with Baltimore gone through, the Raiders would have acquired the 14th pick in this year’s draft. They are instead set to make their second choice at No. 36. Alabama receiver Germie Bernard could be a second-round target for the Raiders. They hosted Bernard last week, according to Vincent Bonsignore of the California Post. The Las Vegas native would “love” to play for his hometown team, per Bonsignore.
Jeremiah’s 50th-ranked prospect, the 6-1, 206-pound Bernard hauled in 64 catches for 862 yards and seven touchdowns in his senior season. Bernard spent last season working with Ty Simpson, the second-rated QB prospect in this year’s class. He could soon team with Mendoza in Las Vegas, which is still light on pass-catching complements to tight end Brock Bowers.
J Russell and his purple slurp!
What a shocker….
When confirming a visit with the Raiders… always make it clear that you’ve already had a haircut.
Raiders need to keep spending or this season will be a lost cause.
It’s already a lost cause, M Davis still owns the team. I see a D Carr, Texans, massacre for Mendoza.
Gasp! Everyone knows raiders are picking a kicker with the first overall pick!! Egad!
Orlovsky shaking his head somewhere wondering why this isn’t Simpson.