You don't have to be a fly on the wall in the Las Vegas Raiders' war room to decipher that Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza will be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Las Vegas hired a young, offensive-minded head coach and a quarterback guru as the offensive coordinator to pair with him.
It wouldn't make sense for the Raiders to fold on a young signal-caller with those cards in their hand.
That said, new head coach Klint Kubiak was, albeit expectedly, non-committal about Mendoza when he first met with the press in Las Vegas. Something tells me that Kubiak wouldn't have been hired had he not had a plan for Mendoza, but perhaps an element of what he said is true.
"Yeah, my exposure (to Mendoza) is very limited. I saw him play the national championship game. I saw the interviews he's given after those games and how team-oriented he is," Kubiak said. "But I look forward to getting to know the player better. Obviously, a really talented guy with a bright future, and we'll see where he ends up. But we got a lot of work to do to get to know him before that time comes."
Raiders fans should be locked in to Indiana Pro Day on April 1
Well, Mendoza's first big test is coming up relatively soon. The NFL Scouting Combine officially kicks off on Sunday, February 22, and quarterbacks will arrive on Tuesday, February 24. They will take part in NFL team interviews all week, and Mendoza will undoubtedly meet with the Raiders' brass.
This will be Mendoza's first chance to make a good impression on the leadership in Las Vegas. He'll presumably do testing and medical exams, in addition to meeting with teams and fulfilling media obligations. But the expectation is that he won't participate in on-field drills on February 28.
Instead, he'll save that performance for April 1 at Indiana's Pro Day, where he'll throw in the comfort of his college facility, on national television, to his college teammates, whom he is hoping to help get more eyes on ahead of April's draft.
RELATED:Â Raiders' missing piece in run game is staring John Spytek in the face in FA
While the combine will be pivotal for getting off on the right foot, his Pro Day will be his first big test. It was not long after that time last year when the Tennessee Titans really honed in on Cam Ward. With a strong showing in Bloomington, the Raiders could do the same with Mendoza.
A poor performance isn't likely to tank his stock or make Las Vegas' front office second-guess itself. Kubiak is a stickler for one's résumé being on tape, and Mendoza has great film. But it will be the first time that Kubiak sees Mendoza throw live, so it is a big chance for Mendoza to make a statement.
Tons will occur in the time leading up to that April 1 date, and more will unfold in the weeks to follow. But Mendoza's first chance to put on a show in front of the entirety of the Raiders' new brass ideally ends up like it did when they watched him in the CFP: Coming through when it matters most.