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Former Las Vegas Raiders GM Mike Mayock.
For the first time in nearly two decades, the Las Vegas Raiders hold the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. They also haven’t drafted a quarterback in the first round since the last time they had the No. 1 pick.
Luckily for the Raiders, this year there is a quarterback worthy of the top pick. Indiana star Fernando Mendoza has had a meteoric rise. He went from being an afterthought to the most talked-about quarterback in college football in less than a year.
There’s been some debate about whether or not he has the necessary skill set to justify using a No. 1 pick on him, but according to former Raiders general manager Mike Mayock, the scouting community is buzzing about Mendoza.
“The guy that kind of had a magical mystery run this year, Fernando Mendoza from Indiana … this kid comes out of high school, not highly recruited,” Mayock said on “The Evaluation.” “He goes to Cal, he goes 6-5 and takes 41 sacks. Took a beating. Goes in the portal, nobody was talking about this kid. Now, a year later, he wins a (National Championship), he won the Heisman, he won the Davey O’Brien, he won every award you could win, leading a team to a National Championship. And now the entire scouting community is looking at him in a completely different way.”
Mayock On What He Likes About Mendoza
On paper, there are a lot of things to like about Mendoza. He’s big at 6-foot-5, and while he’s thin, he’s certainly thicker than a player like JJ McCarthy. He’s also highly intelligent and has displayed high-level leadership qualities.
On the field, Mayock described what stands out to him about Mendoza.
“I love that his eyes are up. He wants to beat you with his arm, which is what an NFL quarterback should be thinking first and foremost,” Mayock said. “Also, I like that he protects the football. … Here’s the key to me: Nervous system. What makes you tick in the most important games and times within the games?”
Raiders Aren’t Going to Overthink It
There are always a bunch of good reasons to trade down from the No. 1 pick. With so many other quarterback-needy teams in the NFL, the Raiders could trade down and get a treasure chest of draft picks.
That worked out well for the Chicago Bears a few years ago, but it sounds like the Raiders are set on Mendoza. He’s a very strong fit in Klint Kubiak’s system, and is likely a big reason why the coach took the job. According to Jason La Canfora of Sportsboom.us, the Raiders have no plans to move off of the No. 1 pick.
“The Las Vegas Raiders are determined to draft Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick, rebuffing all trade offers,” La Canfora wrote. “The team sees Mendoza as the top prospect and plans to pair him with rookie head coach Klint Kubiak. Other teams are aware that the Raiders have no intention of giving up the pick, as securing a franchise quarterback is a top priority for new minority owner Tom Brady.”
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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