It was hardly a surprise when the Las Vegas Raiders selected Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. After all, the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner had been linked to the franchise for several months leading up to the event.
Despite the obvious need for a quarterback and Mendoza being far and away the best signal caller in this year's draft class, the Raiders did not publicly reveal their plans until they handed in the draft card. After the selection, first-year head coach Klint Kubiak shared that he was sold on bringing the former Indiana Hoosiers star to Las Vegas after meeting with him on his Pro Day.
In the immediate aftermath of the pick, however, general manager John Spytek was less direct about when he knew that Mendoza was the right selection. He recently detailed the process that went into the choice, however, and he had been committed for quite some time as well, as it turns out.
John Spytek shares the process behind the Las Vegas Raiders drafting Fernando Mendoza
Mendoza was one of the most obvious No. 1 picks in recent memory, as no other prospects were even in the running to be selected first overall. That did not stop the Raiders from doing their due diligence before making the selection.
Spytek did not go into much detail when asked about the process that led to Mendoza landing in Silver and Black during his presser following the first round.
"It was certainly not done in Miami that night, but it was great to be there and great to see him play like that," Spytek said of watching Mendoza during the National Championship Game. "I don't necessarily have a final (moment) when it was decided, but it wasn't today."
Las Vegas' general manager went into far more detail during his appearance on the Up & Adams show on Wednesday, originally discussing Mendoza's game-winning rushing touchdown in the national championship.
"We were all sitting together. It was a group of us there, and we were just there to evaluate the player in a massive moment in his football career. I mean, as big as it could be," Spytek began. "And the iconic run, in particular, a couple of the ways that I looked at it was: Obviously, a high-leverage fourth-down situation with huge implications on the outcome. That game was largely decided on that play, and the moment wasn't too big for him. He didn't speed up in the moment. He showed you more athletic ability than maybe people thought, stepping over people, juking somebody. And I think my favorite part of it is just the combination of awareness of where he was on the field and his willingness to put it all on the line for his teammates. He gets hit hard on that play in the back. We would always teach our guys, in that moment, don't extend the ball. You already have the first down. We don't want to fumble, but an intuitiveness to his game where he knows where he's at on the field, and he's willing to put it on the line for his teammates. And the best players, and specifically, the best quarterbacks that I've been around in my career, that's how they operate. And a defining moment of his career and probably his life and a part of the evaluation process for us, for sure... It was special to be in the building for that play."
Despite being impressed with Mendoza's play after watching him in person, Spytek revealed that it wasn't until later in the evaluation process that he became fully sold on drafting the quarterback.
"I think his Pro Day was the final part of the evaluation for us. It was less about the throwing part of it, but the way that he interacted with his teammates, the way that he took charge of that workout. And, I think, that's been well-documented out there now, too, where he called everybody out by names and told them what route they were running. And it was his show, but at the same time, he was there for them, too. I think he made that pretty well known afterwards," Spytek admitted. "And then our dinner with him, too. We had a good group of us there with coach Kubiak, and (assistant GM) Brian Stark, (VP of player personnel) Brandon Hunt, (offensive coordinator) Andrew Janocko, (quarterbacks coach) Mike Sullivan, and he picked the dinner spot. And we had a great two-hour conversation with him, and he sat in that room with us and had authentic conversations, and was on, but at ease, too. And just very confident and in command of himself. And that's a lot of the qualities that we were looking for with being a Raider and investing the first pick in somebody."
Anyone who paid any attention to college football was sold on the Raiders drafting Mendoza after his performance in the National Championship Game. The franchise's leadership, despite getting an up-close look at his performance in the biggest game of his life, still made sure that they went the extra mile before making such an important investment.
Raider Nation should be thrilled with Spytek and Co., as the thoroughness of their process in evaluating players will be something that eventually pays off. After years of dealing with pure incompetence that often saw the head coach have more power than the general manager, it appears that the front office is all on the same page.
Only time will tell if Mendoza and Las Vegas' nine other selections can turn into top talents in the NFL. For now, Raiders fans should take solace in knowing that, with Spytek in charge, the franchise is in good hands. At least the process is thorough.
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