Good news for the Raiders as Fernando Mendoza makes NFL Draft call: “A dream come true”

Fernando Mendoza has confirmed what we all already knew, officially announcing Friday that he will enter the 2026 NFL Draft. And that should be good news for the Las Vegas Raiders, who have not had much of it in recent times.

Mendoza is undeniably the man of the moment in college football after following up his Heisman Trophy win by leading the Indiana Hoosiers to their first College Football Playoff championship in the program’s 139-year history.

To add some icing to the cake, the 22-year-old was also named Offensive MVP in Monday’s game, which he wasted little time bragging about on LinkedIn.

A clear No. 1 pick?

The vast majority of draft projections now list Mendoza as the undisputed top prospect. That means the Raiders, who hold the No. 1 overall pick, will have the chance to draft college football’s biggest star.

It could be seen as a daunting task for the young quarterback, given the chaos that has surrounded Las Vegas over the past two seasons. The Raiders followed up a 4-13 finish in 2024 with an even worse campaign in 2025, going 3-14. That collapse unsurprisingly cost Pete Carroll his job, and the head coaching position remains vacant.

A clean break in Las Vegas

On the flip side, a new-look Raiders team built around Mendoza would struggle to do much worse than its recent predecessors. Geno Smith is under contract for 2026, but his future in Las Vegas appears uncertain. Drafting the former Hoosier and hiring a new coaching staff could represent the perfect moment for a clean break as the franchise looks to reset.

Smith finished the season 302-of-448 passing for 3,025 yards and threw 17 interceptions in 15 games, two more than any other quarterback in the league.

The Raiders have already started building for the future by drafting tight end Brock Bowers and running back Ashton Jeanty. Adding Mendoza would be another crucial piece of the puzzle.

Mendoza welcomes the challenge

Appearing on “Good Morning America” on Friday, Mendoza indirectly confirmed he would welcome the challenge of helping revive the Raiders’ fortunes.

“If I was drafted by any team, I’d be so grateful,” Mendoza said. “It would be a dream come true from a two-star recruit.”

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