Why the Raiders made Fernando Mendoza the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft

Indiana's Fernando Mendoza (15) smiles on the podium after the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The Las Vegas Raiders have made it official.

Fernando Mendoza was just announced as the first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Mendoza has been linked to the Raiders from the moment they clinched the No. 1 pick, and the past few months have just been a march to the inevitable.

There is a lot to love about Mendoza’s game , starting with his competitive toughness , and that is a trait that the quarterback himself highlighted when we spoke just a few days ago. But now that the pick is official I want to jump back into Mendoza’s film and highlight two plays that illustrate what the Raiders are getting, starting with one that the quarterback himself suggested best exemplified what he brings to the NFL. When I spoke with Mendoza on Monday I asked him what play he would use to sum up his draft profile, with the caveat that it could not be his touchdown run against Miami in the National Championship Game.

His answer surprised me. “Although that [run against Miami] looks like the clear-cut answer, that would not be my answer either way, because I like throwing the ball more. I believe I’m a very efficient passer,” started the Indiana quarterback.