Getty
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Geno Smith’s move to the Las Vegas Raiders hasn’t delivered the outcome they hoped for, and it now feels possible his time there ends after just one season. If that’s how it plays out, the Silver and Black will be back in the quarterback market once the offseason arrives.
Their Week 14 loss to the Denver Broncos bumped Las Vegas to the No. 2 pick, with the New York Giants holding the No. 1 pick as the 2025 NFL season heads into Week 15.
Moreover, the Giants already see Jaxson Dart as their future starter, so the only thing that could keep Las Vegas from landing the first quarterback in the draft is a team jumping ahead of them.
If the Giants stay at No. 1 and the Raiders keep that second pick, Las Vegas would be in a strong spot to draft Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza. With Mendoza looking like the No. 1 signal-caller for the 2026 draft class, The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen gave his NFL comparable for the 22-year-old.
“If the Raiders get No. 1, obviously, they have their pick,” Nguyen said on the December 7 edition of the “Just Win Podcast.” “If they get No. 2, then they’re gonna have to possibly bid against another team if they really want the No. 1 pick just to move up one spot. And it seems like a waste of capital, but that’s how business is done. As far as Mendoza, my comp for him is Jared Goff with a little bit more mobility.”
Why Fernando Mendoza Earns a Jared Goff Comparable
Nguyen went into detail explaining why, if the Raiders do select Mendoza, they’d have a quarterback similar to the Detroit Lions‘ star.
“He’s not the fastest guy, but if you give him a lane, he’ll run for 10-20 yards,“ Nguyen added. “He has a little bit of speed to him, and he reminds me so much of Jared Goff. He has that accuracy. The delivery is very similar. The body type is similar.
“He doesn’t have the strongest arm, but he has a strong enough arm to make every throw you need him to make. He’s not going to bomb it away like Jordan Love, but he’s able to hit that deep post when you need him to, as he did in that game against Ohio State.”
What the Raiders Could Be Getting in Fernando Mendoza
Mendoza helped Indiana shock Ohio State in the Big Ten title game, a gritty 13-10 win on December 6. That performance alone turned plenty of heads, and now he’ll head into the College Football Playoff with another chance to elevate his draft profile.
If the Raiders end up in a position to select Mendoza in the offseason, NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah has already offered his view of what the Silver and Black could be adding.
“Mendoza has a really nice blend of poise and playmaking,“ Jeremiah wrote on X on December 6. “He’s been able to slow things down in big moments this year. Those traits translate very well to the next level. That was a great game for scouts to watch on both sides of the ball.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports journalist covering the NFL for Heavy.com. He previously covered the league for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has contributed as a freelance writer for The Sporting News. He also served as an editor for Athlon Sports and Heavy Sports focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
More Heavy on Raiders
Loading more stories