The Las Vegas Raiders are in a position that they have not been in for nearly 20 years. The franchise holds the No. 1 overall pick in April's draft for the first time since fatefully selecting JaMarcus Russell all the way back in 2007.
Coincidentally, that also marked the last time that the Raiders selected a quarterback in the first round of the draft at all. Since that day nearly two decades ago, the organization has taken just one quarterback on either Day 1 or Day 2 of the draft: Derek Carr, selected in Round 2 back in 2014.
Luckily, the overwhelming consensus is that Las Vegas will select its sixth first-round quarterback in franchise history, Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, in April. Todd McShay recently compared the projected future Raiders star to quarterbacks drafted over the past two years.
Todd McShay's Fernando Mendoza rankings should excite Raiders fans
Optimism is running high in Las Vegas in the 2026 offseason. The Raiders are expected to hire Klint Kubiak as their head coach and draft Mendoza first overall. McShay, a trusted draft voice who now works for The Ringer, compared the Indiana star to first-round quarterbacks from the past two drafts.
"I'd have him at four (in the 2024 draft class), if I'm being honest. (It's) between Caleb (Williams) and Jayden (Daniels), and then Drake (Maye) was very clear-cut just behind those two, but I would have Mendoza 4. But you'd have him ahead of (Michael) Penix (Jr.), and (J.J.) McCarthy and Bo Nix," McShay said. "The tougher one is Cam Ward, honestly. Cam Ward's more talented. I think I trust Mendoza's game a little bit more in terms of where he is. Again, it'll take a year or two, but I really believe we'll look up in two or three years from now and say, 'Yeah, he's one of the 15 best quarterbacks in the league, and he's heading towards being maybe one of the top-10, top-12.' I think he's got a chance to be that."
Williams, Daniels, and Maye have all proven themselves at the NFL level, as each has led their team on postseason runs. While Ward may have more coveted physical tools, it is hard to argue with McShay's assessment that Mendoza is the better prospect due to his success turning the Hoosiers around.
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In addition to taking home the Heisman Trophy, Mendoza led Indiana to their first Big Ten title since 1967 and their first-ever national championship. His incredible dual-threat stats tell part of the story, but Mendoza put the team on his back at several points to will Indiana to victory.
Both Williams and Daniels were also able to win a Heisman Trophy in their respective college careers, while McCarthy also won a national title. Unlike Mendoza, however, he was on a stacked Michigan Wolverines roster. Mendoza did more with less, and he projects to be a better NFL quarterback.
While he will have plenty to prove at the NFL level, if Mendoza is as successful as McShay predicts, the Raiders would be in a position to quickly turn things around. If Las Vegas can surround him with a strong roster, it would not be a surprise to see the team in the postseason sooner rather than later.