Should everything go the way it’s expected, the Las Vegas Raiders will be selecting Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. But that may simply be by default.
As it has been greatly talked about for months, this year’s draft doesn’t harbor the greatest amount of quarterback talent — and that’s probably putting it lightly. There’s only two projected first-round quarterbacks, with Alabama’s Ty Simpson the other. But even he isn’t a lock to be selected on Day 1.
Mendoza is the only lock this year to a Raiders franchise that has battled to find their next franchise guy. But even though Mendoza is 99.9% sure to be taken first overall, he might be the least hyped quarterback to be taken No. 1 in NFL history.
Fox Sports’ Henry McKenna points the finger back to the Raiders’ AFC West rival, the Kansas City Chiefs, specifically Patrick Mahomes.
Patrick Mahomes Gets Blame For Fernando Mendoza Hype
McKenna made it clear: “You can blame Patrick Mahomes for the lack of fanfare around Fernando Mendoza.”
Why? He believes it’s due to Mahomes’ “resounding success” that has stifled the hype around the former Hoosiers star. Specifically speaking to the mobility of Mahomes and how often quarterbacks now compare themselves to him in that regard.
“That’s not Mendoza. He’s more of a Brady type — a pocket quarterback. (Mendoza’s style is most comparable to Detroit’s Jared Goff or former longtime Falcons QB Matt Ryan.),” McKenna wrote. “Make no mistake: Mendoza is deserving of that No. 1 spot. But there seems to be a lack of fanfare around him, and I think it’s because everyone is so accustomed to dual-threat QBs (Cam Ward, Caleb Williams, Bryce Young, Trevor Lawrence) going in that top spot.”
There has been a major evolution of the quarterback position over the last several years, with guys like Mahomes leading the way. And that, in turn, has potentially changed how scouts view quarterback prospects now.
“[Mahomes] definitely inspired a lot of people to find a guy like that,” an NFL GM told me. “I think everybody’s trying to kind of get away from the stationary quarterback — the traditional pocket quarterback — because of the way these defensive fronts are nowadays. You have to have somebody that can move around the pocket, have feeling around the pocket, and then extend plays and create with their legs if need be.
“So, yeah, I would say, in that breath, maybe [Mahomes] did change the mindset of some coaches and some evaluators.”
Fernando Mendoza Still Showed Mobility At Indiana
Oddly enough, Mendoza is coming off putting up career numbers for rushing in his lone season at Indiana. He scored seven touchdowns on 276 yards rushing on 90 attempts. He previously had scored just four touchdowns for 197 yards in his two seasons at Cal.
It was Mendoza using his legs that made for a signature moment in the Hoosiers’ national championship win over Miami. Deciding to go for it on fourth-and-4 at the Miami 12-yard line, Mendoza bounced off Miami defenders before leaping into the end zone to put the Hoosiers up 24-14.
Was it Mahomes-like? That’s debatable. It wasn’t off script like the Chiefs star is known for, as it was a designed run play. But it did show his athleticism and grit, something similar to Mahomes.
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