Mendoza's Fit in Raiders' Scheme Requires One Key Adjustment

The Las Vegas Raiders finally landed Fernando Mendoza as their quarterback. The Raiders used the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft to eliminate a longstanding need.

Mendoza's Arrival

In addition to the body of work he compiled on the collegiate level, the Raiders did their due diligence before drafting Mendoza. It is a move they have no reason to second-guess, given their glaring need for a young, competent quarterback, which they hope Mendoza will develop professionally.

Las Vegas finally has the quarterback position figured out. Raiders General Manager John Spytek explained a few of the things he noticed about Mendoza leading up to the draft.

"My experiences with him are just that he's so hungry for anything football that anybody's around that he can draw something from or learn something from that person, he's into it. And there's a humility to him that I really respect, too. I think that can maybe be a little bit underrated in our profession, especially with the players,” Spytek said after the first round of the NFL Draft.

“But there's a humility and a self-awareness to him that he knows that this is a really big jump, and we're going to support him organizationally the best that we can. And he knows that those guys in that room, Kirk [Cousins] and Aidan [O'Connell], have played a lot of good football in this league, and I'm sure that he'll learn a lot from them and he knows that."

More Changes on the Way

The Raiders have been a team in flux well before Thursday night's draft. Las Vegas has a new head coach and three new coordinators. They have several additions on both sides of the roster, replacing upwards of 10 starters, with more players coming via the draft.

Specifically, Mendoza's arrival will require the Raiders' coaching staff to fix their offensive line. They have begun the process, adding Tyler Linderbaum in free agency earlier this offseason. Las Vegas handed Linderbaum a record-breaking contract, confirming their commitment to fixing the line.

Still, the Raiders' problems along the offensive line ran much deeper than a single position last offseason. The Raiders lack depth at essentially every position on the offensive line. They have a few reserve offensive linemen with potential, but few that they can feel overly confident about right now.

Las Vegas plans to have Mendoza around for a while, which is why they signed Kirk Cousins to give Mendoza additional time to develop. The Raiders are in no rush to get Mendoza on the field, nor should they be. However, they should be in a rush to continue rebuilding their offensive line.

The Raiders could use an additional offensive tackle and guard. Kolton Miller has been one of the best left tackles in the league over the past decade, but he is beginning to age and is coming off a major injury. Las Vegas' front office must begin preparing for life after Miller before it is too late.

No team wants to find itself unexpectedly needing a left tackle that it can depend on. Most dependable tackles are on another roster by the time that an unexpected need arises. The Raiders do not need to look far to know what that feels like, as it happened to them in the 2025 season.

Charles Grant continues to develop this offseason, and the Raiders have other tackles on the roster. Still, they have too many picks in this draft not to continue adding offensive linemen. Las Vegas currently has three picks in the fourth round, which is a perfect time to find offensive linemen.

Many aspects of the 2026 Raiders will already be completely different from those in previous years. There is not much to suggest that the current system and schemes under Klint Kubiak need to be changed. The adjustments the Raiders need to make for Mendoza start and end with the line.

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