Why Raiders Should Be All In on Fernando Mendoza

The Las Vegas Raiders want to know what the quarterbacks coming out of college are looking like. With the Silver and Black having the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, they will likely take their franchise quarterback.

The Raiders will get a closer look at two quarterbacks on Monday in the College Football National Championship game. The Raiders front office will be in the house to watch the game, and we will see what they are thinking after that title game.

The Raiders have a clear frontrunner for their quarterback search, and that is Fernando Mendoza of Indiana University.

The Silver and Black want to make sure they do all their jobs in taking the right one and one that they all agree on. One that is going to give the team the best opportunity to win games of the future. That is the key to this franchise. It is a decision that will be led by general manager John Spytek and minority owner Tom Brady.

,l, — Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) answers questions Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, during the Indiana media day at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Mendoza is the clear No. 1 overall player and quarterback that everyone should have at the top of their draft board. The Raiders are still going to do their homework on them, but he is everything the Raiders are looking for. The size, the arm, the skill set, but what makes him better and stand out is his leadership with his team both on and off the field. That is something the Raiders need, and his work ethic is going to make him a better quarterback in the National Football League.

NFL draft expert Todd McShay loves what he sees from Mendoza, and he is all in with him going with the first overall pick.

Jan 17, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; (Editors Note: Caption Correction) Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (16) talks to the media during media day for the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship at Miami Beach Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Todd McShay on Fernando Mendoza

"I fell in love with him early in the plot, but I was wary of whether this is my forever, or if I just enjoy a lot of the moments?" said Todd McShay. I drove into the tape, and I said Oh, this guy has stuff, and he is mobile and he has a big arm and he gets a little bit of like, this chrisma about him, and he kind of does not care in the big moments. Then, early in the season, it was a lot of run-pass option stuff. It felt like he was kind of a robot working within the system.

"Then he had the Iowa game. Then he had the Oregon game. None of it was beautiful from top to bottom. But there were moments in the clutch, then the Penn State game ... This is just who he is.

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