It is now official. Fernando Mendoza, the long-presumed No. 1 pick, has been drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders; check his still-active LinkedIn page. Touted as one of the best players to have come out of college football in recent years, there is immense hype around him as he joins a team that is co-owned by an actual legend. The rookie QB humbly extended his gratitude for all these wins.

“What a great organization, great legacy,” Mendoza told ESPN. “There’s so many great teammates. I’m looking forward to talking to coaches and owners. I’m ecstatic for the opportunity.”

There is a legacy, alright. Fernando Mendoza’s constant association with the Raiders often brought up a parallel with the Tom Brady. Unlike the latter, who had to carve out a place for himself after being picked 199th in the 2000 draft, Mendoza had the luxury of entering the league as a superstar. Looking at what both QBs have achieved in their careers, it feels right to hope that Mendoza can recreate what Brady achieved. The Raiders are aiming at glory with the new QB on their roster.

Las Vegas has struggled at quarterback for quite some time now. They have failed to find a young one and develop him into their franchise QB. But Mendoza is the answer to that problem. With playmakers like tight end Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty (also former first-round picks), Mendoza can help from a dynamic trio that kick-starts the Raiders’ winning ways. He could be what Joe Burrow is for the Cincinnati Bengals. The latter QB came to the NFL as a Heisman winner and National Championship winner, and broke the team free of its losing slump immediately. Mendoza plans do that by starting from the ground up

“I believe I’m still the underdog,” Mendoza said later. “I need to work every single day possible, because I’m on the bottom of the totem pole. … I’ve got to first earn the respect of my teammates, earn that equity, and I’ve also just got to immerse, and I’m just ready to do whatever the team needs and calls me to do to help them win.”

In his only season in Indiana, Mendoza finished with career highs in passing yards (3,535), touchdown passes (41), completion rate (72%) and QBR (90.3). No wonder there are such high expectations of him. But unlike his heroic 2025 season, his debut in the NFL will look starkly different.

Is Fernando Mendoza starting for the Raiders in Week 1?

After joining the Raiders, Fernando Mendoza will be part of a quarterback room that includes Aidan O’Connell and Kirk Cousins. However, despite being the number one pick, the 22-year-old is expected to be on the bench based on new head coach Klint Kubiak’s approach towards developing a rookie quarterback in the NFL.

“Ideally, you don’t want him to start from Day 1,” Kubiak said, as per NFL.com. “You’d love him to be able to learn behind somebody. That’s in a perfect world. It doesn’t always work out that way. Sometimes they have to play from Day 1, and it’s our job as coaches to get them ready to go. I think it does help the player if they can sit behind a mature adult and watch how they run the show.”

Mendoza has enough starting experience, and his arrival at a time when someone like Kubiak is the team’s head coach makes for a great pairing. However, there are still some wrinkles to be ironed out in the rookie QB’s game. For example, Mendoza is used to playing shotgun and needs to transition into being a more under-center quarterback to succeed in the NFL. The Raiders have planned long and hard for this; the QB wasn’t drafted to deliver from Day 1, even though he can. The goal had always been for Mendoza to sit back for this year.

Both Simpson and the Raiders met each other at the right time. QB after QB, the team has failed to land the one option who is not just steady, but brings some otherworldly talent to their offense. Perhaps with Fernando Mendoza on board, the Raiders’ dark days seem to be over.