The Las Vegas Raiders picked Fernando Mendoza as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft just a few months after the Indiana star helped his team secure a national championship.
Mendoza had a thrilling year in the 2025 college football season. The Hoosiers went undefeated as their former quarterback finished the season with 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns against just six interceptions.
Mendoza is now expected to be the Raiders’ knight in shining armor and turn their fortunes around after they ended last season with an overall record of 3-14.
Talking about Mendoza’s future with the Raiders, Derek Carr said on Friday:
“That transitions to Fernando, you know, so happy for the Raiders to get a young quarterback in there. But my goal and my hope for him is that he gets time to learn, you know, because going from that offense he was running in Indiana and going to what Klint is going to ask him to do in that offense, the reads, you know, you know, seeing the defense, different things.“
“Now they’re going to be able to help him with the boots and the screens and the play action. But, you know, for me, I just hope that he has time to just learn and grow in this game because third down in two minutes, a lot different in the Big Ten. It’s a lot different in the NFL, you know, and so there’s going to be a learning curve and I hope that there’s patience, you know, for him. But I wish him the best.” Carr said.
“I hope he breaks all my records, man. I’m a Raider fan, so I just want to see him do well.” He added.
Fernando Mendoza Opens Up About Learning From Veteran QB Kirk Cousins
The Raiders amped up the competition for Mendoza before he was drafted by signing veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to a $20 million salary with $20 million in guaranteed money for the 2026 season.
While Mendoza and Cousins are now competing for the starting quarterback position, the former Indiana star has been appreciative of all he has had to learn from the 37-year-old.
During a conversation with Maxx Crosby on his podcast called “The Rush” on Tuesday, Mendoza said:
“Yeah, there’s been a lot of great mentors in that quarterback room so far. A big thing with Kirk [Cousins] is the way that he just processes information, and it’s not always just me overloading him with questions. It’s sometimes taking a step back and listening to what he has to say, seeing the way he asks the coaches questions, seeing the way he writes notes, and then picking and choosing my points when to ask questions.”
Mendoza further spoke about the advice Cousins had given him just before preparation.
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