{"id":784213,"date":"2026-03-01T11:09:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T11:09:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/784213\/"},"modified":"2026-03-01T11:09:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T11:09:32","slug":"mel-kiper-a-big-believer-in-what-fernando-mendoza-can-do-for-raiders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/784213\/","title":{"rendered":"Mel Kiper a Big Believer in What Fernando Mendoza Can Do for Raiders"},"content":{"rendered":"

Indiana<\/a> quarterback Fernando Mendoza going first overall to the Las Vegas Raiders<\/a> in the 2026 NFL draft<\/a> is the worst-kept secret in the world.<\/p>\n

In fact, it might be the biggest shock in draft history if Vegas doesn\u2019t take him given its clear need at the position, how spectacularly Geno Smith flopped last season, and minority owner Tom Brady making it clear finding a franchise signal-caller for newly hired head coach and offensive guru Klint Kubiak was a top priority.<\/p>\n

The general consensus is Mendoza is far and away the best QB in the class, but given the rough shape the Raiders\u2019 roster is in, it\u2019s tough to see him really making much of an impact in Year 1 in a division that also features the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, and Los Angeles Chargers.<\/p>\n

More News: Jeremiyah Love Makes It Obvious He Doesn\u2019t Want the Cowboys to Draft Him<\/a><\/p>\n

More News: Broncos Lose Coach to College Football Powerhouse During NFL Combine<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Indiana<\/p>\n

More News: Joe Burrow-Bengals Split \u2018Imminent,\u2019 NFL Execs Say<\/a><\/p>\n

More News: Texans Fire Coach in Shocking Offseason Move Following Playoff Run<\/a><\/p>\n

However, ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. believes if the Raiders make a few tweaks, Mendoza could actually be a difference-maker as a rookie.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew coach Klint Kubiak will want a signal-caller to build his offense around,\u201d Kiper wrote<\/a> in his recent mock draft. \u201cMendoza is the No. 1 prospect on my board and far and away the best QB in the class. He is competitive and precise with his ball location.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the Raiders bring in a receiver or two during free agency and maybe shore up the O-line a bit, this offense could take a step forward with Mendoza, Kubiak, running back Ashton Jeanty and tight end Brock Bowers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Raiders ranked last in the NFL<\/a> in total offense (245.2 yards per game) and 28th in passing offense (167.7 yards per game) last season, so Mendoza certainly has his work cut out for him.<\/p>\n

If Mendoza puts up numbers similar to what he did at Indiana, the Raiders could possibly jump from the worst offense in the NFL to a middle-of-the-pack unit, which may not seem like a big deal, but considering the failures the team has had with drafting QBs over the last two decades (Marques Tuiasosopo, Andrew Walter, JaMarcus Russell, Connor Cook, Aidan O’Connell), any sign of potential should be considered a win.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza going first overall to the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2026 NFL draft is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":784214,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2065],"tags":[7,932,1744,393,2455,2454,6,15,525],"class_list":{"0":"post-784213","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-las-vegas-raiders","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-indiana","10":"tag-las-vegas","11":"tag-las-vegas-raiders","12":"tag-lasvegas","13":"tag-lasvegasraiders","14":"tag-nfl","15":"tag-nfl-draft","16":"tag-raiders"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116153613855217615","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/784213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=784213"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/784213\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/784214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=784213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=784213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=784213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}