Mark Davis brings up JaMarcus Russell in scary Raiders reminder before Fernando Mendoza pick
Vegas probably would prefer not to have that happen.
Mark Davis brings up JaMarcus Russell in scary Raiders reminder before Fernando Mendoza pick originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Life-long Raiders fans will always shudder a bit at the name JaMarcus Russell.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft turned out to be one of the biggest busts in football history. The Raiders, then in Oakland, hoped to be taking their franchise QB.
Instead, they found a total whiff. Now in Vegas, the Raiders would like to avoid a repeat. They're atop the board in the 2026 NFL Draft, and their sights are presumed to be on Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza, who just won both the Heisman Trophy and the national championship.
Raiders owner Mark Davis spoke about the prospect of having the No. 1 pick, and his recent comments reflected that things don't always go perfectly in that spot. "Having the first pick in the draft is exciting because we kind of control the draft -- we get to make the decision on who we're gonna pick," Davis said, via the Raiders' official site .