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- Fernando Mendoza chosen No. 1 by the Las Vegas Raiders; Heisman Trophy winner and national champion after transferring to Indiana.
- The franchise hopes Mendoza reverses years of quarterback misfires; they signed Kirk Cousins as a bridge while the rookie develops.
- Mendoza enters the AFC West against Patrick Mahomes, rising Bo Nix, and veteran Justin Herbert, making division wins crucial.
The block around Fernando Mendoza’s home in Coral Gables, Florida was roped off by early afternoon on Thursday and the roast pig – a lechon asado to Cubans like the Mendozas – was in the Caja China all day.
No, Mendoza didn’t make it to Pittsburgh for the 2026 NFL draft. But his family’s draft party in South Florida was, by all accounts, epic.
And that’s the way it should be because it was befitting of Mendoza being selected by the Las Vegas Raiders as the first overall pick of the draft.
Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza speaks to the media during the College Football Playoff National Championship game media day at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Fla., on Jan. 17, 2026. (Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images)
The last five month have been such a blessing by God, I can’t thank him enough,” Mendoza said in his first interview after being selected. “I’m just looking forward to get to work, improve at the next level. College was fantastic. I’m so bless to have that career.
But now I step into a great game, the NFL, look forward to proving and earning it every single day.”
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Not bad for a kid who used to occasionally confess to family, friends and teammates, “I don’t imagine myself a high draft pick.
That all changed when Mendoza transferred to Indiana University before the 2025 season, and out of that unlikely college football power came the improbable Heisman Trophy winner, national championship winning quarterback, and first pick in the draft.
The Raiders used only a minute or two of the eight allotted before turning in their card to the NFL for Mendoza.
Only in America.
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The Raiders believe in Mendoza. But the Raiders organization is rife with quarterback misfires in its recent history.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza passes against Miami during the first half of the College Football Playoff national championship game in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
The club signed Geno Smith to make them a contender last season under coach Pete Carroll. Smith led the NFL with 17 interceptions, Carroll was fired, and the team was so bad as to “earn” the first pick in this draft.
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Before that, Gardner Minshew failed as a bridge quarterback and Aidan O’Connell didn’t quite develop into a dependable starter.
Before that, Jimmy Garoppolo signed as a free agent but was often injured and inconsistent when healthy. He started only six games in 2023 and was released the following offseason.
Before that, it was Derek Carr, mostly functional during his time, getting benched in 2022 and ultimately released.
You get the point. It’s been awhile since Ken Stabler, Jim Plunkett or even Rich Gannon won a Super Bowl for the franchise.
Mendoza is expected to turn that sad narrative around. But it won’t necessarily be right away. The Raiders signed veteran Kirk Cousins earlier this offseason as a bridge starter while Mendoza learns and develops.
The rookie will have some time. But not forever.
A closer look inside the NFL Draft Theater from outside Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa., on April 22, 2026. (IMAGN / Beaver County Times)
He’s been drafted to lift a legacy franchise back to glory. But that won’t be an easy assignment because other franchises will get a vote whether it happens.
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Mendoza goes to the AFC West where it is impossible to win without outstanding quarterback play.
The Kansas City Chiefs have owned the division since Patrick Mahomes became their starting quarterback in 2018. They won it seven consecutive times until falling back last season.
The Denver Broncos won the division last season because they have one of the NFL’s rising quarterbacks in Bo Nix, who came close to a 4,000-yard season in 2025.
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The Los Angeles Chargers made the playoffs a season ago and Justin Herbert typically is among the league leaders in passing yards (9th last year) and touchdown passes (tied for seventh).
Now the Raiders answer with Fernando Mendoza – officially the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft.
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