New Details on Raiders Potential QB Fernando Mendoza Should Excite Fans

Indianapolis, Ind.—Las Vegas Raiders General Manager John Spytek and the rest of the Silver and Black braintrust are on the hunt.

You cannot win in the National Football League without a quality quarterback, and they know it. Identifying the need is easy, and while admitting the desire to find one is easy as well, actually finding them is one of the most difficult things in professional football.

Feb 27, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza (QB11) speaks to members of the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

What Does a QB1 Look Like??

Spytek addressed that here at the NFL Combine, “…A leader, tough as hell, somebody that loves to play football, maniacal preparer. Obviously, somebody that can throw the ball well, but I think just somebody that loves the game and will give everything their teammate, a selfless person, somebody that's going to give their team everything that they got every time that they're out there, prepare the right way, lead the right way. I think there's a great humility and selflessness required to play that position at a high level."

As I said, identifying what they look like is easy; finding them isn’t.

When 60% of first-round quarterbacks fail, the odds are against them all, so it is the process of minimizing risk that sets the good selectors apart from the overwhelming majority of bad ones.

Heisman Trophy winner and National Championship-winning QB Fernand Mendoza from Indiana University will, with near certainty (outside of a very stupid offer), be the man the Silver and Black pick first overall in the 2026 NFL Draft on April 23.

We take you behind what Mendoza said today, and tell you how he said it and why today is a monumental day in Raider Nation, when you watch our entire latest episode of the Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast.

Watch Our Entire Podcast Here:

Fernando Owns the Stage

Fernando went into great detail about his interview with John Spytek, Klint Kubiak and the Raiders last night, and the details are impressive.

Las Vegas Raiders GM John Spytek, and minority owner Tom Brady | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Mendoza, an avid fan of Tom Brady talked about speaking with him on the phone during the interview and looking forward to meeting him in person.

Mendoza shared the two qualities it takes to lead as a QB1: 1) Playing Well 2) Earning respect, and then went into great detail as to how you earn the respect and it was very impressive.

Fernando Mendoza fits like a hand in a glove with the Raiders and we tell you how and why.

Mendoza, whether intentionally or not, spoke right to his new teammates and the NFL locker room he will be asked to lead. We tell you why it was brilliant.

We talk about all of this and more in our aforementioned podcast.

Never again miss one major story related to your beloved Las Vegas Raiders when you sign up for our 100% FREE newsletter that comes straight to your email with the latest news. Not only is it 100% FREE, but we also don’t spam you or sell your information. SIGN UP HERE NOW.

Find us on X (formerly Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and @EZTrez_SI and weigh in on the Raiders. While here, check out our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE to discuss what Fernando Mendoza said about the Raiders.