The 2026 NFL Draft is closing in, and the Las Vegas Raiders control the top of the draft. It has been a foregone conclusion that the team is going to select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick.
However, there have been many to come out and suggest that the better strategy would be to trade down and accumulate more draft picks. Though the Raiders seem set on holding onto the top pick, there hasn’t been a lack of interest.
General manager John Spytek revealed that teams have been calling about the No. 1 pick.
“We’ve gotten a few calls, and those teams know where they stand right now,” Spytek told reporters in his pre-draft press conference.
Based on those comments, it sounds like where the Raiders stand is that they have no intention to trade the top pick. That’s not a surprise. The team hasn’t shown any interest in trading down this offseason. It’s true that Las Vegas could likely get a haul of picks if they were willing to trade down, but a potential franchise quarterback on a rookie deal is more valuable than extra picks. The Raiders just have to hope that Mendoza pans out in the long run.
Spytek Talks Having No. 1 Pick
Having the No. 1 pick in the draft comes with a lot of advantages. The Raiders have their pick of the litter and don’t have to worry about another team swooping up a player they wanted.
Spytek gave some insight into what it’s like having the top pick of the draft.
“A lot less energy spent on hypotheticals,” Spytek said. “We were just talking before we came down here — there’s only one team that can get the exact person that they want. And we have that option available to us this year, if we so choose.”
The Raiders will have to worry about hypotheticals later in the draft, but it has to be very calming to know that there won’t be any surprises for them at the start of the draft.
Spytek Addresses QB Room
There’s going to be a lot of eyes watching the Raiders’ quarterback room closely this offseason. The team is going to have a top pick rookie, but also signed Kirk Cousins. Many believe that the plan is to start the season with Cousins as the starter.
The Raiders aren’t too eager to throw Mendoza to the wolves if they don’t feel like the talent around him can set him up for success.
However, it’s not a done deal yet. Spytek made it clear that the best quarterback is going to start.
“Ultimately, this is a meritocracy, and the best guy will play,” Spytek said. “It’s just really hard to play really well at a young age. But we’ve seen plenty of quarterbacks do it recently, and how that goes going forward here …”
“Obviously, we’ve added Kirk,” Spytek continued. “We have Aidan and, you know we’ll, we’ll see how it goes.”
Cousins has a lot of experience, but Mendoza is going to be difficult to keep off the field.
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