The Las Vegas Raiders are in the middle of the mandatory minicamp, and it’s the early stages of the wideouts building chemistry with the QBs on the team. Moreover, this is important given that the Silver and Black have the No. 1 pick in Fernando Mendoza, who is adjusting to the NFL.
Mendoza has to learn a new offense as he transitions from the RPO-style in college to a professional one under head coach Klint Kubiak. On June 10, Raiders wideout Jalen Nailor, who signed with the team this offseason, shared his early impressions of the reigning Heisman Trophy winner.
“Very tall,” Nailor told reporters about Mendoza. “He can see over the offensive line. He can make those throws across the field and, um, very accurate and things like that. So, he’s very eager to learn, which is very great for, for a rookie like him being a first round pick. He’s always trying to pick somebody’s brain and improve.”
Last season, Mendoza played 724 total snaps for the Indiana Hoosiers, leading to an 87.9 overall PFF grade. Mendoza threw for 2,758 yards and 32 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Moreover, he recorded 16 big-time throws and 9 turnover-worthy plays. Meanwhile, on the ground, 200 scramble yards and six rushing touchdowns.
Jalen Nailor on Culture Raiders Locker Room Want to Build
Nailor also shed light on the team as a whole and noted that the group Kubiak is coaching up will hold each other accountable rather than needing the staff to fix any mistakes.
“I feel like that that’s what great teams do when they win, they’re player-led teams,” Nailor added. “So I’m just trying to take that every day, just trying to have guys like if somebody’s messing up, it’s not going to be a coach that’s saying something. We want players to correct each other and help each other out. That’s how we’re going to grow and get to where we got to be.”
Last season with the Minnesota Vikings, Nailor posted a 66.3 overall PFF grade, hauling in 29 receptions on 49 targets for 444 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Nailor also generated 114 yards after the catch and only had one dropped pass during the season.
Kirk Cousins on Team’s QB Room
Speaking of quarterbacks, on June 9, Kirk Cousins spoke with the media and shared his thoughts on the team’s QB room amid mandatory minicamp.
“They’re great people,“ Cousins said. “They’re fun to work with. We have fun in the meetings. We have good dialogue. They’re great football minds, great studiers. They can push me.
“I think to say I’m mentoring them is a bit of a reach, probably more of a narrative than it is the truth, in the sense that they’re pretty good players and pretty experienced, and I’m learning a lot from them too and asking questions of them. So it’s always been a working force together in the quarterback room, and that’s what it is.”
It will be interesting to see how the group plays out this 2026 season and whether the team does start with Cousins when Week 1 comes around.
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