Fernando Mendoza seen as major offseason win for Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders are all the talk of the NFL after drafting rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza and also signing veteran Kirk Cousins during the offseason. There's been a lot of positive talk around the league about the additions, and it's not dying down anytime soon.

On Wednesday, Greg Auman of Fox Sports ranked the top 10 NFL offseason moves. One of the decisions he highlights is the Raiders selecting Mendoza in the 2026 NFL Draft.

As the draft approached, it became certain that the Raiders would draft the Heisman Trophy winner, but that didn't stop the excitement when the moment finally happened. Mendoza was undefeated with the Indiana Hoosiers in 2025 and led the team to its first national championship win.

Fernando Mendoza move is one of the best in the entire NFL offseason

Auman noted that Mendoza was a "huge part of the buzz around this draft, coming off a dominant college season that saw Indiana win a national title and him take home the Heisman Trophy."

"There was no drama as to what the Raiders should do with the top pick," Auman said. "And Mendoza takes over a franchise whose last playoff win came nine months before Mendoza was born in 2003."

Auman also said that the "rookie quarterback should give them a chance at a positive trajectory for the first time since they moved to Las Vegas."

So, even when there was no mystery about Mendoza being selected by the Raiders, that's not stopping the buzz. Mendoza's debut, whenever that happens, should be one of the highlights of the 2026 season.