It sounds like Jets should call Raiders about trading up to draft Fernando Mendoza

As Rich Cimini mentioned for ESPN, New York Jets general manager Darren Mougey admitted during the NFL Scouting Combine that he didn't "think" he'd be able to move up from the second overall pick of the 2026 draft to choice No. 1 to draft Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza. 

For a piece related to "interesting things" he heard during the combine, Matthew Berry of NBC Sports gave Jets fans a glimmer of hope that the Las Vegas Raiders could sell what likely will become the Mendoza pick for the right price. 

Could Jets offer Raiders a "haul" for the right to draft Fernando Mendoza?

"Mendoza was awesome last year, of course, but also played behind an incredible offensive line," Berry wrote. "So, now you have the Raiders, who, ahem, do not have an incredible offensive line. The Raiders have many things, including a bunch of needs all over the roster, a competent current QB in Geno Smith, a division with the Broncos, Chiefs, Chargers, so it’ll be a while before they can compete and, oh yeah, a minority owner (Tom Brady) who is sure to have strong opinions on the QB position. If the Jets offer a haul (and they have the picks to do so), I think there is a non-zero chance the Raiders take it. Let Geno (or another veteran) start this year as they take a QB a little later and try to develop him, or maybe they just wait until next year for a better QB class."

Berry was referencing how the Jets acquired two first-round draft picks for star cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner and then landed a first-round pick in 2027 to go along with a second-round pick in 2026 for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams ahead of this past fall's trade deadline. As Randy Lange of the Jets' website pointed out, Gang Green possesses eight picks in the first two rounds of the next two drafts combined.

Whether the Raiders would accept a package of those selections instead of drafting Mendoza is unknown. Raiders general manager John Spytek and recently hired head coach Klint Kubiak did not indicate at the combine that they would consider passing on the chance to grab the best quarterback in this year's draft class. However, it sounds like Berry learned that not everybody thinks Mendoza is a slam-dunk prospect. 

Fernando Mendoza isn't "a can’t-miss" quarterback? 

"The feeling I heard is that consensus on Mendoza is that he’s good, not great," Berry continued. "That his projected No. 1 overall draft selection is more about a very weak QB class than the idea he’s a can’t-miss franchise maker. To put it another way, I spoke to a few scouts who said if Mendoza came out two years ago, he’d have been drafted after Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, and maybe Bo Nix. And that if he’d come out last year, he’d had been drafted after Cam Ward. Those are just to give you a comparison level and explain that in most years, Mendoza wouldn’t be the No. 1 overall pick."

Both the Raiders and Jets need a long-term answer at the sport's most important position. However, accepting a so-called "'Godfather' offer" for the Mendoza pick could allow the Raiders to better build around a future QB1 for years to come. In short, it seems like fans of the Raiders and Jets could be in for at least a few weeks of some fascinating rumors related to Mendoza's future.