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After a disastrous 2025 NFL season, many would assume that the Las Vegas Raiders will move on from veteran QB Geno Smith, especially with Fernando Mendoza being the likely No. 1 overall pick.
Nonetheless, the Raiders, should they select the former Indiana Hoosiers star, might not feel comfortable putting in Mendoza to start right away. Perhaps head coach Klint Kubiak could let him learn on the sideline until he feels ready.
As a result, ESPN’s Mike Tannenbaum believes that despite the season that Smith had in Year 1 with the Raiders, he is still the ideal player to serve as a stopgap for Las Vegas until Kubiak and Co. feel that Mendoza is ready.
“I am drafting Fernando Mendoza No. 1,” Tannenbaum said on the Feb. 13 edition of “Get Up” before saying what many Raiders fans will find controversial. “I am not playing him from Day 1. Geno Smith is under contract. He’s the ideal bridge quarterback. You just gave up a third-round pick for him… but I think the Raiders are set up ideally at the quarterback position with Geno Smith [and] Fernando Mendoza.”
Smith posted a passer rating of 84.7 with 3,025 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions in 15 games in 2025, per StatMuse. With this production, it would be a tough sell to Raiders fans to have Smith back for another season. Nonetheless, the front office and coaching staff should make decisions that are helpful for Mendoza’s development.
Fernando Mendoza Gets Matt Ryan Comp Amid Raiders Link
As the draft nears, the focus will be on what player Mendoza can turn out to be for the Silver and Black. For FS1’s Colin Cowherd, he sees a better version of former Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan.
“So my scouting guys, sometimes there’s a problem when I like a player way more than my scouts do, or I don’t like a player as much as my scouts do, and that’s where Fernando Mendoza comes in,” Cowherd said on the Feb. 12 edition of “The Herd.”
“I like Fernando Mendoza a lot. Everybody else just likes him… When I watch him, here’s what I see: A bigger, stronger, more athletic version of Matt Ryan. That’s what he looks like.”
Raiders Should Be Happy With a Matt Ryan-Level Career
Moreover, Cowherd went into details of why it wouldn’t be a bad thing for Mendoza to turn out like Ryan. The former Falcons star had a long career, including a Super Bowl appearance, and any Raiders fans will sign up for that, especially after several terrible seasons with no light in sight.
“Matt Ryan is ninth all‑time in passing yards and top ten all‑time in passing touchdowns, got to a Super Bowl, had an MVP season behind him, and made four Pro Bowls,” Cowherd added.
“Add 30 percent to that, because I think Mendoza is a little bigger, he moves a little better, and he’s got a slightly stronger arm. Matt Ryan is someone you can build a franchise around and get to Super Bowls with. I think largely the Falcons failed Matt Ryan. He didn’t fail them. He was a very good quarterback.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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