The one silver lining for the Las Vegas Raiders amid their disastrous 2025 season was the fact that they “earned” the number one pick in the NFL Draft, which is set for April. The Raiders have already made some big changes this offseason, including firing head coach Pete Carroll after just one season, and now, the pressure is on for Las Vegas to nail this draft pick and bring in a future building block for the franchise.
Many expect that name to be Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who recently led his team to a national championship win over Miami, and Mel Kiper of ESPN agreed with that, projecting the Raiders to draft Mendoza at number one in his latest mock draft.
“This is an easy one. The Raiders traded a third-round pick for Geno Smith less than a year ago, but it hasn't worked out. He finished the 2025 season ranked 27th of 28 qualified passers in QBR (34.1), throwing 17 interceptions over 15 games. And with a new coach (to be determined) coming in, it's time for a fresh start,” wrote Kiper of ESPN.com.
Indeed, the Smith experiment backfired severely this season, with the former Seattle Seahawks quarterback turning in the worst season of his career and not giving the Raiders much of anything to work with on the offensive side of the ball.
Kiper also broke down why he thinks Mendoza is the right choice at number one for Las Vegas.
“I see great ball placement on the tape, and he's a no-brainer to begin Round 1. Las Vegas could start to build something offensively here with Mendoza, running back Ashton Jeanty and tight end Brock Bowers,” he wrote.
Jeanty and Bowers have established themselves as intriguing skill positional building blocks moving forward for the Raiders, and their talents could be unlocked further with the right quarterback.
Raiders fans will certainly hope that Mendoza fits that bill if and when he is drafted by the franchise.
