The Las Vegas Raiders have the inside track to secure the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. All the Silver and Black need to do is lose against the Kansas City Chiefs in their Week 18 gam on January 4 at Allegiant Stadium.
Moreover, if the Raiders can secure that top pick, they can select a young quarterback they can build the team around, and that signal-caller is Indiana Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza.
Should Las Vegas see Mendoza as its franchise quarterback, the team will receive major news to start 2026. On January 1, ESPN’s college football insider Pete Thamel reported that the Indiana star is expected to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft after his season is over.
“The widespread expectation in the NFL is that Mendoza is going to go pro after the season,” Thamel said. “He obviously just won the Heisman Trophy. To replace him, I’ve been told Indiana is expected to target, is expected to target Josh Hoover, the former TCU quarterback.”
Do the Raiders Want Fernando Mendoza?
After the Raiders fell in Week 17 to the New York Giants, CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco believes that the Raiders want to secure the No. 1 pick to draft Mendoza.
“They are thrilled today that they have the No. 1 overall pick,” Prisco said on the December 28 edition of “CBS Sports HQ.” “They sat Maxx Crosby down. You think he wanted to play today? Of course he did. Why did you sit him down? You’re tanking. You want the No. 1 overall pick. Well, they got it. Right now, they have it.
“You think they’re going to beat the Chiefs next week? No matter what happens, they’re not beating the Chiefs. They want Fernando Mendoza. They’re going to get Fernando Mendoza. They’re going to have the No. 1 overall pick, and they’re going to cure their quarterback problem.”
Raiders Appear to Want the No. 1 Pick
It appears, considering Thamel’s reporting, that Mendoza will be available at the top of the draft board. Nonetheless, the Raiders will have options about which direction they want to go with their draft pick if Las Vegas loses in Week 18. Regardless of whether it’s Mendoza or not, one thing is reportedly clear: The Silver and Black want the No. 1 pick.
“[Raiders] ownership [is] telling the coaching staff and the players that they want the No. 1 overall pick above all else,“ ESPN reporter Brooke Pryor said in a video posted by ESPN on December 30. “… Things have not gone well, but it leaves you with a sour taste in your mouth.
“If you’re one of those Raiders players that is hearing from ownership, ‘Look, we don’t want you to win. It is better for us if you lose, and then we can focus on the future,‘ especially because there are definitely guys in that locker room that are not a part of the Raiders’ future equation.
“They don’t really care about the future, but Tom Brady and those owners, they would like to win. They would like to have that No. 1 overall pick when the draft is in Pittsburgh, just in a couple of months.”
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