Fernando Mendoza has long been the consensus No. 1 pick for the Las Vegas Raiders. However, as per the Las Vegas Raiders' head coach, Klint Kubiak, the team doesn't seem sure about the QB.

"I saw him play the National Championship game...I saw the interviews he's given after those games and how team-oriented he is."

This is one aspect of Mendoza that has been highly appreciated by Raiders management. Even Tom Brady spoke about it when he watched the National Championship game from the stands, where Mendoza praised his teammates. Brady capped it off by calling him an "impressive young man."

And Mendoza has certainly impressed Kubiak as well, but the head coach followed it up with a strange remark. "I look forward to getting to know the player better, but obviously a really talented guy with a bright future...we'll see where it ends up, but we got a lot of work to do to get to know him before that time comes."

It felt odd to hear the Raider head coach seem unsure about the QB. After all, in the 2025 season, Fernando Mendoza completed 273 of 379 passes for 3,535 yards, throwing 41 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He finished the season with a passer rating of 182.9 and a QBR of 90.3.

Moreover, the Raiders have a clear problem in the QB role. They were the fifth-worst team in the league in average passing yards (167.7). Could this mean the team is bringing in someone else? Reports suggested Derek Carr was considering coming out of retirement. If the Raiders don't pick Mendoza, there will be one team that will be the happiest.

The Raiders Not Committing to Fernando Mendoza Is Not Good News for the Cleveland Browns

Even if the Raiders do not pick Fernando Mendoza in the 2026 draft, it will be very hard for the Browns to get their hands on the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner because other teams before them also need QBs.

The Browns have the 6th pick in the 2026 NFL draft, while the New York Jets sit at 2, and the Arizona Cardinals have the 3rd pick. Justin Fields couldn't help the Jets much as the team finished 3-14 overall.

As for the Browns, their priority must be to get a good offensive lineman in the draft before they get a quarterback. What do you think?

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Written by

Reyansh Dubey

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar