The Las Vegas Raiders finished the 2025 NFL season with a 3-14 record, landing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. It was a good year to wind up picking first, as Oregon's Dante Moore is returning to school, leaving this year's class with only one quarterback who has a first-round grade.
That would be Indiana star Fernando Mendoza, who many believe will be the first Day 1 quarterback taken by the Raiders since 2007. The 2025 Heisman Trophy winner got off to a great start in the College Football Playoff, as he led his team to dominant victories over Alabama and Oregon.
During those two games, Mendoza threw for 361 yards, eight touchdowns, no interceptions, and just five incompletions, posting an 86.1% completion rate. Mendoza was stellar in the National Championship Game as well against Miami, captivating Raider Nation once again with a single play.
Fernando Mendoza proves why he must be the Raiders' next quarterback
With just over nine minutes remaining in the contest and the Hoosiers clinging to a three-point lead, Indiana was facing a fourth-and-5 from the Hurricanes' 13-yard line. Mendoza received the snap in shotgun, and he did the rest himself. Just take a look:
FERNANDO. MENDOZA.
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) January 20, 2026
AN UNREAL PLAY ON 4TH DOWN.
🎥 @TSN_Sports pic.twitter.com/n4px2MUQYp
That kind of play typically only happens in movies. For a coach to call a quarterback draw on fourth-and-5 shows an immense amount of confidence in his star player, and for Mendoza to be relentless in his pursuit to eventually punch it in for six points has to win over the fanbase yet again.
Winning this game was the final challenge of Mendoza's stellar season, and presumably his collegiate career. He had to do so against Miami, whom he grew up wanting to play for. The Hoosiers star was playing in front of a local crowd, as the game took place in Miami, the city in which he was raised.
He was also playing in front of his projected future employers, as Raiders owner Mark Davis, minority owner Tom Brady, and general manager John Spytek were all in attendance and on the field before the game.
Mendoza showed heart against an elite Hurricanes defense, led by defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. and a fleet of other projected high draft picks. He completed 16 of his 27 pass attempts for 186 yards in the 27-21 victory, giving the Hoosiers their first-ever championship.
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Mendoza's play has made him the clear frontrunner to be selected first overall, but the grit he showed on a night where he was constantly under attack by Miami's defensive front proved exactly why he deserves that honor. Things didn't go perfectly, but Mendoza remained in control and pulled it out.
Las Vegas has a clear need at quarterback, and it is obvious that the Hoosiers' star has what it takes, both on and off the field, to be a leader for the franchise. He got punched in the mouth and hammered after the whistle a few times, but Mendoza kept getting back up. A true Raider.
While the 2026 NFL Draft is more than three months away, the Raiders should already know the answer as to who they are selecting first overall. Additionally, having that luxury should allow them to focus their coaching search on the candidates they think will best set Mendoza up for success.
Fixing the quarterback and head coach positions was always going to be the key to Las Vegas turning things around. Mendoza has proven that he is one-half of the equation, and that one play solidified it again to the fanbase. Now, the Raiders' brass need to figure out who will be the other half.