The Fernando Mendoza era in Las Vegas has officially arrived.
The Raiders selected the Indiana quarterback No. 1 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday night in Pittsburgh.
The Heisman Trophy winner, who was not in attendance at the draft, had been expected to be the top selection for months after he led the Hoosiers to the College Football Playoff National Championship and a 16-0 season.
"Just a great person," general manager John Spytek said Thursday night of Mendoza. "Raised the right way, great family. He's about the right things. It's about his team. It's about winning. It's about doing the right thing, being accountable to the whole organization. It's very little to do with all the accolades he got after they won all those games. He's really smart. He works really hard. This means a lot to him. I don't think that being the first overall pick and winning the Heisman and all the things that he's gotten will change him. I think it will actually make him work harder to prove that he's worth all that and then earn even more."
Mendoza's arrival in Vegas ushers in a new era for a club that has been an afterthought for much of the past two decades. The Raiders have made just two playoff appearances in 23 campaigns -- their only seasons above .500 -- and haven't won a postseason game since their Super Bowl trip during the 2002 season.
Following the departure of Derek Carr, the Raiders have experienced instability at quarterback, cycling through seven starting signal-callers over the past three seasons and going 15-36 during that span.
Mendoza is now tasked with ushering in exuberant change.
The quarterback is coming off an award-winning season. In addition to taking home the Heisman Trophy, he was named a consensus first-team AP All-American, the Walter Camp Award winner as the nation's top player, the Davey O'Brien Award winner (nation's top QB), and the Maxwell Award winner (nation's top player). He was the Big Ten Conference Offensive Player of the Year and QB of the Year and named first-team All-Big Ten. Mendoza led the FBS in passing touchdowns (41) and ranked third with a 72% completion rate at Indiana.
Mendoza joins Joe Burrow and Cam Newton as the only players in the common draft era to win the Heisman Trophy and national championship and be selected first overall in the NFL draft in the ensuing offseason.
After three years at Cal, Mendoza transferred to Indiana in 2025 and took off under coach Curt Cignetti. He generated 3,535 passing yards with a 41-6 TD-INT ratio and rushed for seven scores during the undefeated season, capped off by a 27-21 championship win over Miami.
The Cuban-American is a fearless leader with the intangibles to excel in the NFL. The high-character quarterback brings an ultra-competitive nature, leadership and poise to the Raiders. Growing up, Mendoza idolized Tom Brady, helping spawn the young quarterback's steely mentality, crazed preparation and work ethic. Now the 22-year-old will play for the Raiders' minority owner.
The 6-foot-4 quarterback brings ideal size and toughness to the position. He boasts fearlessness attacking defenses, and the touch and anticipation to feather the ball into tight windows. Mendoza's preparation as a field general is evident, allowing him to win pre- and post-snap.
While he owns solid arm talent, it's accuracy and anticipation that mark Mendoza's superpower. His ability to nail slants, digs, crossers, outs and back-shoulder throws with pinpoint accuracy and hit receivers in stride keeps the offense chugging.
Mendoza never seems to get rattled, offering poise under pressure and the intelligence to pick apart defenses without putting the ball in harm's way. His work in the constricted red zone area highlights his smarts. Since 2024, he's thrown 39 touchdowns with zero interceptions in the red zone, per Pro Football Focus. That astonishing ability to not hinder a scoring opportunity will translate well in Vegas.
The quarterback owns the ability to scramble to pick up first downs and touchdowns with his legs when needed, but that's not the forefront of his game. Mendoza enters the NFL with questions about his pocket mobility, and he can struggle to escape when rushers are in his lap. At times, he holds the ball too long, hunting for big plays, and could take a lot of hits if the Raiders don't shore up the offensive line.
Mendoza might not make a ton of wow-level, off-balance plays, and his deep ball could use work, but his steady ability to get an offense in the right play, find the open target quickly and snap accurate throws makes him an excellent field general.
Coming from a heavy RPO system, Mendoza will need to make some adjustments under coach Klint Kubiak. Last year in Seattle, Kubiak had a 52.6 under-center rate, second-highest in the NFL, per Next Gen Stats. The rookie quarterback will also need reps in the play-action game, something his new coach uses prolifically.
The Raiders signed quarterback Kirk Cousins this offseason to give the club a veteran presence alongside Mendoza. Cousins' familiarity with Kubiak's system and success running the play-action game should help the rookie's immediate development. The veteran's presence could allow the Raiders to bide their time with Mendoza as he gets his feet wet in the NFL.
"My experiences with (Mendoza) are that he's just so hungry for anything football that anybody he's around that he can draw something from or learn something from that person, he's into it," Spytek said. "There's a humility to him that I really respect. I think that can be underrated in our profession, especially with the players, but there's a humility and a self awareness to him that he knows this is a really big jump. We're going to support him organizationally the best that we can. He knows that the guys in that room, Kirk and Aidan (O'Connell), have played a lot of good football in this league and I'm sure he'll learn a lot from them, and he knows that."
Regardless of whether Mendoza starts Week 1 or not, he's the future of a revamped Raiders organization. A breath of fresh air and a leader are needed to turn around one of the most historic NFL clubs, which has been a doormat for far too long.
