2026 NFL mock draft: What happens if Fernando Mendoza isn't No. 1 pick?
What would happen if Fernando Mendoza is not the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft? Here's what one simulator predicted.
Everyone expects the Las Vegas Raiders to select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft . But what if they didn't?
Mendoza, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, is a lock to be the top pick in this year's draft with a quarterback-needy Raiders team on the clock first. Now that Las Vegas has veteran Kirk Cousins in the building, there's at least an infinitesimally small chance the Raiders make another decision at the top of the draft. If that were to happen, other teams' draft plans would be significantly affected.
A shocking pivot from Las Vegas would cause a cascading effect down the draft order as each team would be forced to consider contingency plans outside of their expected Plan A. USA TODAY Sports used a mock draft simulator to model its own projection of how the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft could pan out if the Raiders did not select Mendoza first overall. Here's how it went: NFL NEWS, TAKES, FANTASY ADVICE: USA TODAY Sports has you covered with our NFL vodcast NFL mock draft simulator: What if Fernando Mendoza is not No.
1 pick? 1. Las Vegas Raiders: OT Francis Mauigoa, Miami (Fla.
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