The Las Vegas Raiders were surely paying close attention to the matchup on Friday night between No. 1 Indiana and No. 5 Oregon in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Peach Bowl.
More News: Packers Could Fire Matt LaFleur if John Harbaugh Wants Job
The contest featured two quarterbacks who could be first-round draft picks in April. Ducks quarterback Dante Moore had the most to gain on Friday night, but he threw for 285 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the 56-22 loss to IU. He also lost two fumbles.
Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza had an incredible showing, going 17-of-20 passing for 177 yards and five touchdowns. He added 28 yards on the ground.
More News: Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman Reemerges as NFL HC Candidate
During an appearance on the “Let’s Go!” podcast published on Monday, Raiders star pass-rusher Maxx Crosby dodged a question about Mendoza becoming his future teammate with the No. 1 pick.
However, Crosby praised Mendoza for his play in big games and how he handles the media.
“I will say his interviews, unbelievable,” Crosby said. “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.”
Crosby has good reason not to speculate on Mendoza at this point in the Raiders’ offseason. Las Vegas still has a head coach to hire before the team embarks on a lengthy pre-draft process to determine what to do with the coveted No. 1 pick.
There has also been talk of the Raiders potentially trading Crosby this offseason after the pass-rusher was placed on injured reserve for the final two games of the regular season.
But if the Raiders have a talent at quarterback and Crosby playing in his prime next season, the team could make a remarkable turnaround from a 3-14 finish in 2025.
For more on the Raiders and the NFL, head to Newsweek Sports.