Although the excitement of officially taking Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick is sky-high for the Las Vegas Raiders and the fanbase, it is hard not to think about what happened the last time that the Silver and Black were atop the draft board.
JaMarcus Russell, by all accounts, looked like a generational prospect and was entrusted with the keys to the organization. Whatever the root cause of his failures was, the young quarterback didn't come close to delivering on turning around the franchise or becoming the player he could have been.
Mendoza, who also looks like a tremendous young signal-caller, will have the same task at hand. Not only is he ultra-talented, but he is coming to the Raiders at a time that the franchise desperately needs that beacon of light and hope to actually shine bright. To deliver on all that promise.
While the situations are similar in some ways, the results should be vastly different. Mendoza is the ultimate do-over for Russell, whose failed tenure reverberated throughout the building for decades until the former finally came along.
Las Vegas Raiders' Fernando Mendoza pick gives them a JaMarcus Russell do-over they badly need
First, let's knock those similarities out of the way. Yes, both were highly-coveted college players selected with the No. 1 overall pick and headed to a team with a first-time NFL head coach on the sideline. Both coaches were the sons of legendary NFL coaches, no less.
But that is pretty much where the similarities end. First of all, Lane Kiffin and Al Davis did not see eye-to-eye on the selection of Russell. John Spytek and Klint Kubiak are in lock-step picking Mendoza, as they didn't even seemingly entertain any other options during the pre-draft process.
And while Russell's teams at powerhouse LSU were good, they weren't as successful as the good-not-great Indiana team that Mendoza led to a National Championship. Russell never won a Heisman or a title, and Mendoza achieved both of those things despite much lower odds.
Whereas Russell lied to coaches about watching blank cassette tapes of game film, Mendoza has already been watching Kirk Cousins tape for years and employed the help of Shanahan/Kubiak confidant Brian Griese to work on West Coast offense concepts during the pre-draft process.
Mendoza isn't going to hold out for a better contract upon his arrival at Raiders HQ like Russell did. By all accounts, he is the most stand-up citizen that there is without a single skeleton in his closet. Mendoza is a franchise quarterback on the field, in the locker room, and between the ears.
He has it all.
Russell, for as much as he went through during his time with the Silver and Black, only ever had it on the field in college. And when his work ethic dwindled, it became quite evident that he didn't have it in either of the other two facets. His failure in the NFL was upsetting, but all too predictable.
That's not the situation with Mendoza. The front office had already invested in him greatly before he ever came to the building or took a snap. Everyone in Las Vegas is on the same page about Mendoza, and he is clearly willing to put in the work, in addition to having all the physical and mental tools.
This is the Raiders' chance at redemption. Mendoza is the ultimate redo for the fiasco that was the Russell selection and the ripple effect it had on the organization for too many years to count. Without putting too much pressure on him, it should be known that Mendoza has the power to undo it all.
Mendoza can turn this franchise around and make The Shield mean something again. He can restore the pride of the Silver and Black. He can revitalize the fanbase and alumni. But the best part about it is that he won't have to do it alone.
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