Fernando Mendoza participates in Indiana University's Pro Day at Mellencamp Pavilion on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Raiders' Plan Will Prepare Mendoza for Las Vegas' Bright Lights

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Ezekiel Trezevant | Last updated Apr 8, 2026 7:00 AM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders are set to draft quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. Of all the moves the Raiders have made this offseason, adding Mendoza is the most anticipated one. Soon, the anticipation will cease, and Mendoza will be a Raider.

Once that happens, and the draft is completed, the Raiders' roster will be nearly complete. Then, they must get to work.

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Mentoring Mendoza

The Raiders have had their fair share of quarterback related issues over the past three or four seasons. The Raiders have routinely fielded one of the league's worst quarterback rooms. After years of failed signings in free agency, and failed trades, Mendoza is set to stabilize the position.

Las Vegas has longed for a quarterback that possesses what Mendoza displayed on the collegiate level. Although they hope and expect him to play well professionally, the Raiders' front office has appraoched his pending addition in a measured and logical way.

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The league has plenty of examples of young, highly drafted quarterbacks who entered the league after a successful collegiate career, only for those quarterbacks to play too early and have their growth stunted or ruined altogether. There is no shortage of examples of this.

Las Vegas' front office refuses to run the risk of doing that with Mendoza, even in the slightest bit. They were vocal about not wanting to start Mendoza early, and then went out and signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins shortly after Mendoza's Pro Day. Kubiak recently explained his mindset.

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"I think in a perfect world that he's watching a mature adult go and run an offense and run the team, but the situation is you might have that player, you might not. You might not have that veteran just showing the way, so he might come in and have to play immediately, but you'd rather him learn before he gets in the game. You don't always get to pick," Kubiak said at the league's Annual Meetings.

“Just doesn't work out the exact way you want it to, but at the end of the day, you want to make sure that you're bringing in an individual, drafting a guy that is mature enough to handle some adversity, whether it's him starting the first game or him starting first game in year two."

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Mendoza is unquestionably the Raiders' eventual starting quarterback. However, they have realistic expectations this season. Those expectations are not worth potentially hindering Mendoza's early development by forcing him to start games too soon behind an offense still meshing together.

Allowing Mendoza and the Raiders' offense to learn Kubiak's offense more thoroughly with a more experienced quarterback like Cousins leading the way early is yet another example of the Raiders' front office displaying just how detailed they have been this offseason. They are on a roll so far.