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Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza.
The more he plays, the more it looks like Fernando Mendoza will be the Las Vegas Raiders‘ quarterback of the future. He has played at a very high level during the College Football Playoff, which has solidified his draft status.
The Raiders own the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and they need a quarterback. Mendoza is the favorite to be that player for Las Vegas. Defensive end Maxx Crosby’s status with the franchise is up in the air, but it sounds like he wouldn’t be upset about the idea of playing with Mendoza.
He had some big praise for the young quarterback.
“I will say his interviews, unbelievable,” Crosby said on the “Let’s Go!” podcast. “When I seen the first one after they beat Ohio State in the Big Ten championship, I’m not going to lie, I was not expecting that at all. And that was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. And it was it was so genuine and hilarious at the same time.
“But you could just tell like–he’s a winner. He’s going to have he’s going to have an incredible career in the NFL. He’s a hell of a player, man. His story is unique. He wasn’t the biggest recruit or anything like that. But he’s he’s built himself into a Heisman winner and about to be a national champion.”
Will Mendoza & Crosby Be Teammates in 2026?
Crosby seems to be on board with the idea of playing with Mendoza, but it remains to be seen if he’ll be in Las Vegas next season. He wasn’t shy about his displeasure with the team for shutting him down for the final games of the season, which has led to trade speculation.
It’s still too early to know if he’ll actually get traded. The Raiders love Crosby and haven’t entertained moving him in the past. However, the team is entering a total rebuild, and Crosby could get them a lot of assets in return.
It has to be appealing to have Mendoza leading the offense and Crosby leading the defense, but there’s no guarantee that will actually happen in 2026.
Raiders Urged to Keep No. 1 Pick
While Mendoza is looking like a no-brainer No. 1 pick, there are still those who believe it makes more sense for the Raiders to trade down and accumulate more draft picks. The team could likely get a lot of assets in return for that top pick, but if they like Mendoza, it makes more sense to stay put.
Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal made the case for the Raiders to keep the top pick.
“Rule of thumb: If you have the first pick, it usually means you are a bad team,” Bonsignore wrote. “Chances are it will take years to rebuild around that young quarterback. There is an even stronger likelihood that it will be a struggle early on.
“But that can’t be the reason you pass on a franchise-caliber quarterback. Be confident, not scared. Trust your staff and your ability to build the infrastructure around Mendoza. If you are afraid of the challenge, maybe you aren’t cut out for the job.”
Austin Boyd has covered the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com since 2019. A Los Angeles native now based in Las Vegas, his featured work at Heavy includes interviews with NFL stars Darren Waller and Joe Montana, and a behind-the-scenes look at “The Shop.” More about Austin Boyd
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