Revisiting Raiders' 2026 NFL Draft: What Vegas is getting out of Fernando Mendoza, what's next

Sitting behind Kirk Cousins was always the initial plan, but the Raiders may soon be pressed to start the No. 1 overall selection Oct 24, 2026 at 11:04 am ET • 3 min read With the No. 1 overall selection, the Las Vegas Raiders were faced with a decision between Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza and the top-rated non-quarterback prospect. The franchise started anew with first-year head coach Klint Kubiak and Mendoza. The Raiders invested in his development before he was ever officially a member of the organization. In addition to hiring Kubiak, an offensive-minded head coach who had proven his mettle by guiding Sam Darnold to the Super Bowl, the team signed free agent center Tyler Linderbaum to a market-setting deal and veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to alleviate any pressure to start the rookie too early. Was the franchise justified in spending the No. 1 overall selection on Mendoza? How has Fernando Mendoza fared? The plan was always to sit Mendoza for an extended period of time, so his lack of playing time to this point is not a reflection of his performance. Mendoza saw his first meaningful action in a decisive loss to the Patriots earlier this month. In a game that had already been decided, Las Vegas elected to sit veteran Kirk Cousins and insert the No. 1 overall selection during the fourth quarter. Mendoza completed 6-of-8 pass attempts for 48 yards, but there was a lot to like in his debut. First and foremost, the rookie looked comfortable with his mechanics. His upper and lower bodies were married, which meant that when he moved from one read to the next, his feet were already positioned to throw it. One of his farthest completions went to wide receiver Tre Tucker. Mendoza saw Kindle Vildor's momentum carrying him downfield and knew that Tucker was running a comeback into the vacant area, so he let go of the ball before the receiver had gotten out of his break. The ball was there waiting when Tucker had opened up out of the break. It was an easy completion that allowed for a few additional yards after the catch. One of his two incompletions was a beautiful throw to the boundary in which rookie receiver Malik Benson had plenty of real estate to get his feet down inbounds and just didn't. It is worth noting that Mendoza was throwing to backups against New England's also backup defense rather than handing off to Ashton Jeanty or throwing to Brock Bowers. One final play to discuss. Mendoza was locked in on Dareke Young, but recognized at the last second that Vildor was staring down the route and already breaking on the football. The Indiana product tucked the football, escaped and found a checkdown to the running back later in the play. The Raiders-Patriots history almost had another Tuck Rule submission in its history. One of the concerns coming out of Bloomington was Mendoza's operation with pressure at his feet. He was hardly pressured against the Patriots, so it is difficult to glean anything from that standalone game, but there may have been a bit of panic on the play above when he tucked the ball and found a blocker against his chest. Long-term outlookThe Raiders are playing .500 football six games into the season. They did not win a third game until the regular-season finale a year ago. If the season begins to slip away from Las Vegas, then it may be time to bench veteran Kirk Cousins in favor of Mendoza. Whether through media availability or a variety of commercials, Mendoza has let it be known that he is all about data. Starting several games this season will go a long way in the quarterback's quest to collect data points and troubleshoot this season's shortcomings in preparation for next season. An NFL schedule rarely presents an ideal situation to insert a rookie quarterback. The next stretch of six games before the bye week in the team's schedule is brutal regarding defensive competency. The 49ers, Seahawks, Broncos and Browns all rank top-10 in defensive EPA/play, according to TruMedia. The Rams and Jets are also considered average or better. There is no reason to believe Las Vegas may not have its quarterback of the future. Over time, there may be evidence to the contrary, but Mendoza's limited play has inspired cautious optimism.