INDIANAPOLIS — Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek didn’t have to say a name for the dots to be connected when asked what traits he looks for in a quarterback.

“A leader and someone tough as hell,” Spytek said Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine. “Somebody that loves to play football, maniacal preparer. Obviously, somebody that can throw the ball well, but I think just somebody that loves the game and will give everything for their teammates. … I think there’s a great humility and selflessness required to play that position at a high level.”

Sounds a lot like Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy-winning Indiana quarterback who is expected to be selected by the Raiders in April with the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.

It’s no sure thing Mendoza will be a day one starter, however, as Spytek expressed a preference for bringing rookie quarterbacks along more methodically.

“I think you want to limit the amount of pressure you have on that guy from the start,” he said. “Now, if you have a young quarterback, I’m not necessarily in favor of running him out there right away, so (it’s important to have) another quality player that can play the quarterback position.”

But that role probably wouldn’t be filled by Geno Smith, who technically remains under contract.

“I have not talked to Geno since the season ended,” Spytek said. “I’ve seen videos of him training, and I know he’s feeling good. We’ll talk soon.”

The Raiders can save about $8 million on the salary cap by releasing Smith before the third day of the new league year, which begins March 11.

“Obviously, the contract predicates that a little bit,” Spytek said of when the team will make a decision on Smith’s future. “(Coach) Klint (Kubiak) and his staff are just getting everything together, and we’re going to spend some time here, and then when we get back to Vegas kind of formulating the plan with everybody going forward.”

No decisions made

Spytek didn’t commit to selecting Mendoza, even suggesting the team would at least listen to potential trade offers. While the Raiders are an overwhelming favorite to select Mendoza, their evaluation is just starting to enter a pivotal stretch that will include face-to-face meetings this week.

“We’re looking for leadership traits,” Spytek said. “Can he be a connector? Is he smart? Is he endearing? Does he have humility? All the things we’ve talked about. We’re going to get 18 minutes to spend with these guys this week in those formal interviews. It’s a dip your toe in the water, get to know these guys.”

Spytek and several other Raiders executives saw Mendoza at the national championship game, though NFL rules prohibited them from speaking to the top prospect. He said he has also evaluated several other games played by Mendoza, but acknowledged the best evaluations come in the college playoffs or other times against high-end competition.

What he saw was a quarterback come through in the clutch, all the way to a national championship.

Building a support system

Still, Spytek knows it would be a massive mistake to not create a situation in which Mendoza has every chance to succeed at the next level instead of banking on him to win games on his own.

“You have to support them in many different ways,” Spytek said. “To think you’re just going to take a young quarterback and start him Week 1 and it’s going to go great is naive. You’re not doing that kid any favors at all. Probably more organizations fail those kids than those kids fail the organizations. So whoever we have at the quarterback spot, it takes the whole building to support them because they have such a hard job.”

Quarterback prospects, including Mendoza, are scheduled to speak to the media Friday. He is not expected to throw with the rest of the group Saturday.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.