Raiders HC Klint Kubiak reveals Kirk Cousins' true role with Fernando Mendoza

As expected, the Las Vegas Raiders used the No. 1 pick to get their hands on Fernando Mendoza.

However, they also knew he would be a bit of a project, which is why they signed Kirk Cousins before the NFL Draft.

Mendoza would benefit from learning from a veteran, all while the Raiders are in a better position to compete at the start of the season.

That said, it's not like the Raiders signed Cousins to be Mendoza's big brother or mentor. When asked about that, head coach Klint Kubiak had an interesting response. 

The Raiders don't want Kirk Cousins to mentor Fernando Mendoza

“I never ask anybody to be a mentor,” Kubiak said. “If you’re on the roster, it’s to play and play really well for the team. That’s the quarterback’s job; all three of them are to get ready to play and win games at a high level. When everybody’s doing that, they’re pushing each other; it creates competition, and the whole roster gets better. All I want from our quarterbacks is to be competitive and to all prepare like they’re starters.”

Iron sharpens iron. Mendoza and Cousins hit the ground running and have seemingly developed a bond, but they're both competing for the same job.

Of course, just being around a proven veteran will inevitably raise the stakes and the floor for the rookie. 

He'll get to watch how he approaches every game, how he prepares during the week, and what it takes to succeed in the pros, but it's not like he'll be holding Cousins' clipboard.

At the end of the day, Cousins wants to play. He always knew that his time in Sin City might be short-lived, at least as a starter, but his job is to make Kubiak's job difficult and force them to keep Mendoza on the bench for at least an entire season.

Some friendly competition never hurt a team. And as much as Mendoza will be wise to soak in as much information as he can from his veteran teammate, it's up to him to get up to speed and earn the job.