The 2026 NFL Draft is just weeks away, but there shouldn’t be any surprises with the No. 1 pick. The Las Vegas Raiders have been expected to take Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza for months, and that hasn’t changed throughout the pre-draft process.
However, it’s never smart for a team to have complete tunnel vision in the draft, especially with the No. 1 pick. This isn’t considered a very strong quarterback class. The Raiders may have considered Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, but he decided to go back to college.
Alabama’s Ty Simpson is the only other quarterback in the class who is in the first-round conversation. There’s been a recent push from some pundits to suggest that he’s actually a better prospect than Mendoza.
Despite that, the Raiders haven’t wavered on the Heisman Trophy-winner. According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Las Vegas looked into Simpson, but never seriously considered taking him over Mendoza.
“I don’t think so,” Breer said when asked about whether the Raiders considered Simpson on “The McShay Show.” “It doesn’t mean they didn’t study him. I mean, he was part of their study in the fall, when they were going through all of it. I don’t know if he was ever really a factor here.”
Could Raiders Regret Not Taking Simpson?
The push for Simpson seems a bit odd. While he does have some appealing traits, he’s much smaller than Mendoza, doesn’t have a better arm and hasn’t started in nearly as many games.
It’s entirely possible that Simpson will have a very good NFL career. There’s a reason he might end up being a first-round pick. However, he doesn’t have the athletic traits to warrant the Raiders considering him over Mendoza. If he were fast and had a huge arm, then it’d be a conversation, but Mendoza appears to be the better prospect in nearly every aspect.
Rich Gannon Talks Mendoza
The Raiders recently signed Kirk Cousins, but that doesn’t mean Mendoza isn’t the future. In fact, he might still be the present.
Cousins will compete for the starting job, but the Raiders won’t keep Mendoza on the bench if he’s the better quarterback. Former Raiders MVP quarterback Rich Gannon weighed in on the looming quarterback battle between Mendoza and Cousins.
“In terms of what the spring and summer looks like, I would imagine that Mendoza is going to get just about all the reps,” Gannon said on “Upon Further Review.” “We want to get him as many reps as possible. Why? Because Kirk Cousins doesn’t need a lot of reps in May, June and July. He doesn’t. So we want to get the young rookie up to speed and we want to give him as many reps as possible.
“And then at that point, when we get into the preseason, we can decide, ‘OK, this kid’s ready to play.’ Or, ‘You know what, maybe he’s not ready to play Week 1. Let’s go with the veteran and let’s find a way to eventually work him into the lineup.’”
The Raiders would likely prefer to start Cousins at the beginning of the season, but if Mendoza is too good to keep on the bench, they won’t be upset about that.
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