With Fernando Mendoza being the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, he is the quarterback of the future for the Las Vegas Raiders. He could end up sitting behind Kirk Cousins this season, but long-term, he’s the guy.
However, having a good backup situation beyond this year is going to be very important for the Raiders. The team didn’t draft another player at the position, but they did find out in undrafted free agency.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Raiders have signed former Missouri State quarterback Jacob Clark.
Clark wasn’t invited to the NFL Scouting Combine and wasn’t a big name heading into the draft. The Raiders quarterback room is about to get a lot bigger, as Clark is 6-foot-5, the same height as Mendoza.
Clark threw 28 touchdowns at Missouri State last season and showed some flashes of potential. He’s going to have an uphill battle trying to beat out Aidan O’Connell for the No. 3 quarterback spot. There’s a chance the Raiders trade O’Connell, which would certainly help Clark’s chances. Regardless, he’s going to have to put in some serious work this offseason if he’s going to make the roster.
Mendoza Believes He Has a Lot to Prove
There have been plenty of No. 1 pick quarterbacks in the history of the NFL who never lived up to their potential. In fact, the last quarterback the Raiders used the No. 1 pick on, JaMarcus Russell, is widely considered the biggest draft bust in NFL history.
Mendoza understands that he still has a lot of work to do, but is honored that the Raiders are putting their faith in him.
“It’s a huge responsibility but also a huge honor,” Mendoza said after getting drafted. “The Raiders are a historic franchise and one of the faces of the NFL, and I feel like, again, I need to prove it and earn it every single day.”
Fortunately for Mendoza, the Raiders brought in Cousins, who should help take some pressure off of him. He’s excited about the chance to work with the veteran.
“It’s been a whirlwind in the past couple of hours, but Kirk sent me a really nice text,” Mendoza said. “[I’m] looking forward to working with him, learning anything I can from him, and just a great not only teammates that I will learn from but also the great coaches.”
Klint Kubiak On What Sold Him on Mendoza
The Raiders didn’t want to have tunnel vision on Mendoza during the draft process, so they tried to keep an open mind. Head coach Klint Kubiak wasn’t 100% sold on Mendoza until he saw the quarterback at his Indiana pro day.
“The way he ran that pro day, he bossed his teammates around, told them what route they were running and how accurately he threw the ball,” Kubiak said. “And then took him upstairs and talked football with him and just listened to him communicate the game and how quickly he picked things up.
“We already liked how he played the game on film, but seeing him in person was really helpful, and it allowed us to watch film on a lot of other guys. We knew we had the guy.”
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