The Las Vegas Raiders are buzzing with speculation over Fernando Mendoza, touted as the future star for the team. Yet, whether he will step into the spotlight immediately remains uncertain.
NFL Insider Ian Rapoport suggests that should Mendoza deliver impressive performances early, it might compel the Raiders to appoint him as their starting quarterback next season.
“We’ve witnessed scenarios where teams initially plan for a rookie to simply learn from the sidelines,” Rapoport explained during the NFL Insiders show on NFL Network. “But what if Mendoza accelerates onto the scene with exceptional prowess? Teams could decide, ‘This talent is too good to sideline.’ While it might not be in the opening game, this shift could occur swiftly in the season, which would be fantastic news for the Raiders.”
The NFL has evolved past the era when quarterbacks spent a year on the bench. The last time the No. 1 overall draft pick took a back seat was in 2018, when the Cleveland Browns chose Baker Mayfield.
Seizing his moment, Mayfield took over following Tyrod Taylor’s injury and cemented his place as the starting quarterback, never looking back.
Since Mendoza was taken No.1 overall by the Raiders during last years NFL Draft, the expectation has been he will serve as a backup to Kirk Cousins, who will be a mentor to Mendoza.
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Mendoza is coming off a historic season at Indiana, where he was crowned as the winner of the Heisman Trophy and also helped lead the Hoosiers to their first College Football National Championship, after throwing 3,535 yards, 41 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions, while completing 72% of his passes.
If Mendoza can show the Raiders the same type of success he had at Indiana and becomes the starting quarterback of the team, Rapoport said it could make things a little bit awkward in the Las Vegas quarterback room, but it would also be good news, as the number one pick would be “Exactly who they’d hope he would be.”