Earlier this week, during a secret lunch meeting during the NFL’s annual scouting combine, a senior AFC executive posed an interesting question about Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft.
The executive is tasked with getting his team to cross-check the 2026 quarterback class, a position of long-term need for his team. Of course, he arrived in Indianapolis late last month eager to interview with players like Mendoza, Alabama’s Ty Simpson and take passing drills with those who chose to participate. But even before this week’s events began, he began delving into Mendoza’s status as a potential franchise quarterback.
advertise
“I’m not saying he won’t be a good player, but it’s not that there aren’t some things [to question]”He’s very strong,” he said. I can’t deny this. He’s mentally tough and made some great shots in big games. but he has one real Power running game [at Indiana]. He throws the ball to three receivers [Omar Cooper Jr., Elijah Sarratt and Charlie Becker] When they are drafted, they may end up being selected in the top 60 picks. His offensive line is good. His defense is good. They are one of the best coaching staffs in the country. “
Fernando Mendoza’s game has been criticized, but there’s little sign he’ll fall out of favor with the Raiders’ No. 1 draft pick in April. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
(South Florida Sun-Sentinel via Getty Images)
He went on to note that Mendoza essentially operated shotgun his entire college career. His athleticism is fair, but not great; he lacks elite passing ability in the midfield; relies on back-shoulder throws; and there are suggestions that Mendoza’s 2023 and 2024 tapes at Cal are also good, but not great. He then pointed to Indiana’s 2024 starting quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who set out to have his own college football season after transferring to the Hoosiers that season.
After mentioning Lock, the executive asked, “What if this was a program and a coach that helped produce great quarterback numbers?”
advertise
The layered point is that there’s a chance we’ll one day look back on Mendoza’s 2025 season and realize he got a lot more green light in Indiana than we currently realize. Here’s something to note, too: The AFC executive — like every other organization in need of a quarterback who doesn’t have the No. 1 pick in the draft — won’t have the opportunity to select Mendoza in April. So, admittedly, there may be some motivation to view these views with a high degree of skepticism.
​​[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2026 MLB season]
Yet, amid all this, there is another underlying trend. This is a strong hint to the Las Vegas Raiders, who are prepared to acquire Mendoza with the No. 1 pick. It’s roughly as follows:
forward and back The Raiders selected Mendoza with the No. 1 pick in the draft, and the team had the daunting task of rebuilding the entire franchise around him. First and foremost, the offensive line didn’t allow him to be destroyed as a developing player — something the Raiders have not done well in recent seasons.
advertise
That’s what Raiders fans should have been thinking Friday night when Las Vegas deftly traded two first-round picks from the Baltimore Ravens for star defensive end Marquez Crosby. Those picks will go with the 14th pick in this year’s draft and then go into what is expected to be a talented first-round pick in 2027. By all accounts, the trade was made to benefit the Dallas Cowboys, setting the stage for an accelerated rebuild around Mendoza.
There’s no doubt that the Crosby trade officially marked the beginning of that effort. Now, the Raiders have the flexibility to add multiple offensive linemen in the next two drafts — four picks in the top 67 picks in 2026 (Nos. 1, 14, 36 and 67) and at least three picks in the top 64 picks in 2027 (two first-round picks and a second-round pick). Now highlighting that reality, the Raiders are currently expected to have hundreds of millions With salary cap space for the next two offseasons, two rising stars in tight end Brock Bowles and running back Ashton Jeanty, and offensive head coach Clint Kubiak are in charge of the situation.
While nothing is guaranteed, this certainly has the potential to be the durable pivot the Raiders have been chasing for more than two decades, if not the past 40-plus years. It is also necessary to at least Some Recent reports suggest that the Raiders are once again on the verge of massive chaos under the occasional watchful eye of minority owner Tom Brady and his organizational advisor/mole/health coordinator Alex Guerrero.
advertise
It was the kind of trade that set the league on fire Friday night. Not only does this put a spotlight on the Ravens’ full commitment for at least the final two years of Lamar Jackson’s contract, which currently runs through 2027, but it also suggests that the Cowboys (reportedly the second bidder for Crosby) are seriously considering adding some other significant pieces this offseason. Apparently, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has given some credibility by suggesting he will “break the budget” this offseason to maximize whatever window Dallas currently has.
That’s a favorable backdrop for the NFL more broadly as it approaches free agency on Monday. But nothing makes more sense than what the Raiders have to do. Their intent was first signaled by the future release of 2025 starter Geno Smith, who will have his bridge quarterback role with the Raiders absorbed this offseason by another cheaper veteran free agent (with some starting experience). Next, veteran linebacker Alex Cappa is expected to be released, part of an offensive line that struggled last season. Finally, Friday night’s cannon fire added momentum to the switch to Mendoza.
One of the NFC’s talent evaluators noticed the moment Friday night and commented on the Raiders’ performance over the next two drafts.
“a lot of [draft] Choice,” he said. “They just have to make the right choice. This is where pressure comes into play. “
forward and Mendoza was voted No. 1 overall in April.
