Trade Rumors Involving Las Vegas Raiders’ First-Overall Pick & Fernando Mendoza Are Heating Up

This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.

The Las Vegas Raiders appear set to land Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming 2026 NFL draft. The prospect led his team to a perfect 16-0 season, which culminated in a national championship victory against the Miami Hurricanes in a thrilling game.

Mendoza will head to the draft as the highest-ranked player in the country. The Raiders have struggled to find a reliable quarterback for several years now, and Mendoza looks like their biggest chance to turn things around.

After hiring Klint Kubiak as head coach, many have talked about the Raiders’ options with the first overall selection. Kubiak received a major warning about Mendoza’s talent over the weekend. Now, somebody said the Raiders would benefit from passing up on Mendoza.

Analyst Says Raiders Should Trade No. 1 Overall Pick And Pass Up On Fernando Mendoza

During Tuesday’s edition of Fox Sports’ “First Thing First,” Danny Parkins urged the Raiders to trade the No. 1 pick and get a huge haul in return.

“Given how many holes the Raiders have, and given the comp for Mendoza seems to be a Jared Goff type who’s a little faster with a little worse arm… that can miss,” Parkins argued.

Mendoza has expressed his admiration for other teams around the NFL, but seeing the Raiders pulling the trigger on a move involving the quarterback looks very difficult. Owners Tom Brady and Mark Davis watched him against the Hurricanes. You don’t do that with a guy you’re not interested in.