What Fernando Mendoza Really Brings to Table For Raiders

In a few months, the Las Vegas Raiders will be making one of the most important picks, if not the most important pick, in franchise history. The Raiders hold the first overall pick, and they are locked in on getting their next franchise quarterback.

Right now, on the field, that is the Raiders' biggest need, and they have been searching for a franchise quarterback for some time. The Raiders have the opportunity to take the quarterback of their choosing, and he will be there at No. 1.

The Raiders are locked in on Indiana University quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Mendoza is the clear No. 1 overall pick, and now it is up to the Raiders if they want to take him.

That has now become a question because around the NFL, there are rumors going around that the Raiders could actually trade the first overall pick because they have many holes to fill on their team. But the Raiders also need a quarterback. They could take Mendoza and build around him.

Indiana's Fernando Mendoza (15) gets loose before the Indiana versus Ohio State Big Ten Championship football game at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Mendoza is coming off a great college season. He won the Heisman Trophy and led his Indiana team to its first College Football National Championship, and he did it undefeated. Mendoza, no matter what, always found a way to win and win the big games.

He was never rattled, even when things did not go his way or the team was going through a tough stretch during a game. Mendoza stayed poised and led his team to victory, and did it as a great teammate.

What Mendoza brings to the table

"What I see his someone who processes really well," said Rich Eisen about Fernando Mendoza. "I see somebody tough as nails. I see somebody who knows Tom Brady is in the building. That knows that Brady, Mark Davis, and John Spytek are in the building, and those are the three who are going to decide who is the first overall draft choice in the NFL Draft. And I know I have to perform for my future."

Jan 9, 2026; Atlanta, GA, USA; Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) reacts after the 2025 Peach Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

"I think that it is strong that he can show his emotions and still be an absolute beast on the field. He has checked every box ... He knows how to get hard coaching and succeed with it. He knows how to succeed in the hardest moments with his arms and his legs. He knows how to take advantage of an opportunity ... If I am the Raiders, I am all over him."

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