Now that the Geno Smith experiment has failed miserably, the Las Vegas Raiders should be dead set on drafting a quarterback early on in the 2026 NFL draft.
The Raiders opted to not draft one in 2025 and instead put all their eggs in the Smith basket. That has failed spectacularly, as the mistake-prone Smith hasn't proven to be the upgrade Las Vegas was expecting.
The good news is, the Raiders are is a good position to land one of the top picks in the 2026 NFL draft. According to Tankathon, the Raiders are sitting in the No. 7 spot at 2-5, but they are well within striking distance to move up.
One quarterback prospect to keep an eye on is Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, who the Raiders have a "keen interest" in, per Sports Illustrated's Hondo Carpenter.
“Hearing some interesting stuff about Raider scouts and Mendoza at Indiana. Just keep an eye out there on that,” he said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast.
“I’m hearing from people around Indiana and some other things that the Raiders seem to have keen interest in Mendoza, which they should," Carpenter went on to add. "They need a quarterback, and they’re trying to find out, is he our ride or die? It doesn’t mean that he is,” he concluded.
This isn't shocking in the slightest. After all, the Raiders need a quarterback and the Indiana star is currently one of the top prospects at the position.
Mendoza began his ascension to his current status at California, and he has continued that ascension after transferring to Indiana, where he has completed a whopping 72.9% of his passes for 1,923 yards and 24 touchdowns to three picks.
On top of his immense arm talent, Mendoza also sports impressive athleticism that allows him to extend plays and pick up yards with his legs.
With Mendoza checking all the boxes teams want in a quarterback, he could be the first one off the board next year, assuming he continues to play at the high level he has this season.
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