The 2026 NFL Draft is shaping up to be an unpredictable one, but that unpredictability will start after the first pick. The reason why is that the Las Vegas Raiders are expected to select Fernando Mendoza.
Of course, the team hasn’t come out and announced that plan, but all signs point to the quarterback being the first player to hear his name called in the draft. Mendoza is aware of that reality, and while he plays it cool when he’s near a microphone, he’s reportedly already preparing to be in Las Vegas.
NFL Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah recently explained how the QB is doing that. During a Friday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Jeremiah was asked if Las Vegas is 100% locked in on Mendoza.
Jeremiah then reveled that, in his discussions with people throughout the league, his understanding is that Mendoza is working with former quarterback and former San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks coach Brian Griese, and essentially installing the Raiders offense.
In other words, it’s just a matter of formalities before Mendoza is officially joining Las Vegas.
Fernando Mendoza reportedly using pre-draft process to get familiar with Raiders offense
As Jeremiah detailed, this is similar to how things unfolded with the Cincinnati Bengals and Joe Burrow ahead of the 2020 Draft — the presumptive first pick is able to start learning the important verbiage, concepts, and principles of the offense that they will soon be asked to lead.
It should be noted that Griese was Tom Brady's teammate at Michigan, as well as the quarterbacks coach for the San Francisco 49ers from 2022 to 2024. There, he overlapped with Kubiak one year, and learned a very similar system with Kyle Shanahan. He also played under Mike Shanahan for years.
While this report further solidifies Las Vegas’ plan to take Mendoza, it’s also a positive sign for his eventual adjustment period in the NFL. Of course, a few months of learning an offense isn’t going to negate all growing pains, but it could help Mendoza get ahead of schedule.
With all that’s placed on a rookie quarterback’s plate, especially when they’re the first pick, getting a slight advantage could go a long way. There will be pressure, and a hope, for the Raiders to start Mendoza right way, but Las Vegas will likely make that decision based on Mendoza's readiness.
If the pre-draft process of getting familiar with the offense by working with Griese helps Mendoza start fast once he gets into the building, he could be staring down a promising rookie season with the Raiders. And don't even get us started on the future!