The Las Vegas Raiders are in for an exciting offseason. Las Vegas brought in Klint Kubiak as their next head coach. They also hold the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, which could be Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza. But one NFL draft analyst recently questioned that pairing.
Analyst Kirk Herbstreit questioned the fit of Mendoza with the Raiders during a recent interview.
“I really think he’s a guy that, the typical, we don’t have a left guard, we don't have a right tackle, we need a couple receivers, we really need a quarterback. That's not the guy,” Herbstreit said on Monday on This is Football. “But if you've got a couple tight ends, if you've got an offensive line you feel good about, if you got a back that's capable, you got a few receivers, you just you need the quarterback, he's the guy.”
The Raiders do have Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers as established starters. However, Las Vegas has a suspect offensive line and limited talent outside of Bowers and Jeanty.
“So, it depends on how you evaluate the Raiders or other teams. I just don't think he's like a Justin Herbert coming out of Oregon that he's so skilled,” Herbstreit added. “We're going to grow around him and eventually he's good enough to keep us afloat, but eventually we're going to become elite when we get the right pieces around him. He's not the guy.”
It is difficult to pass too much judgment on the Raiders this early in the offseason. Kubiak still has to assemble his coaching staff before the team starts working on the roster.
The Raiders have the second-most cap space in the NFL heading into the offseason. They also boast 10 selections in the 2026 NFL Draft. So it is reasonable to be optimistic about Las Vegas building a support system around Mendoza before his rookie season.
Ultimately, Herbstreit admitted that it is difficult to anticipate how a cerebral quarterback like Mendoza will translate to the NFL.
“I'm not looking down at his ability. I just think he would fit in well. He's a mind guy. He's going to hurt you with his mind, his preparation, his processing, which I think is a very difficult thing to evaluate when it comes to a college quarterback going to the pros.”
It will be fascinating to see how the Raiders approach the offseason with the possibility of adding Mendoza looming over every decision.
