Raiders GM plays down Fernando Mendoza draft talk and reveals what he wants to see from QB

The 2026 NFL Draft is fast approaching, and the Las Vegas Raiders will be first on the clock.

Last season wasn’t kind to the Sin City franchise, which picked up just three wins, and lost 14 more.

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The team have gone into a rebuild this offseason, with splash signing Tyler Linderbaum arriving in an $81 million deal to become the NFL‘s highest-paid center.

He’ll bring stability to an offensive line that struggled in 2025, and Las Vegas also dipped into the market to bring in free agent linebackers Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker, as well as wideout Jalen Nailor.

The last thing to do, in the eyes of many, is draft a franchise quarterback.

Indiana Hoosiers prospect Fernando Mendoza is the consensus No. 1 pick of the 2026 draft, and has long been linked with the Raiders.

The Heisman Trophy winner is even said to be learning Klint Kubiak’s playbook ahead of landing in Las Vegas.

Nothing will be official, of course, until draft night.

And at the NFL’s annual meeting Monday, Raiders general manager John Spytek refused to give much away over plans for the first overall pick.

Raiders continue to keep draft plans under wraps

“No breaking news today,” Spytek told ESPN’s NFL Live show, when asked to confirm is Las Vegas would draft Mendoza.

“And it’s the question everybody wants to know, but I’ll just keep saying the same thing.

“We’ve got a process, we’re going to follow it, and we’re going to make the best decision we can for the Raiders.”

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Spytek then opened up about Mendoza’s pro day, and revealed what he wants to see from the Hoosiers star in Bloomington, Indiana, on Wednesday.

“We will be there,” he said.

“I think it’s prudent that we go to all the touch points that we can, to see all the great players that are out there.

“At any pro day, you just want to see guys compete, show up and be there for their teammates and put their best foot forward.

“I’ve been to a lot of great pro days in my career. I remember a lot of them.

“Mostly when you go see these quarterbacks, they do an elite job. It’s a show. It’s scripted, and they know exactly what they’re doing and where they’re throwing it.

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“Most of the time, you walk away being like, ‘That was a pretty good pro day.'”

While Spytek refused to offer anything concrete his plans for the top pick, he was then pushed by ESPN on what he thinks could make Mendoza a ‘franchise quarterback.’

The Raiders GM responded: “We’ve got a long way to go there, but I just love the way he competes.

“There’s a lot of guys on that Indiana team, and they didn’t go 16-0 just because Fernando was there. They’ve got a lot of great players. There’s a great team atmosphere in that group.

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“You can feel it when you’re around the team. I got a chance to watch them play a couple of times this year. It’s fun to watch that, witness that, and be a part of things like that.”

Spytek knows Mendoza has the makings of a franchise guy, but it’s not overly surprising that he’s keeping draft plans close to his chest, with three weeks to go before the event kicks off in Pittsburgh.

All signs, though, point to the Heisman winner holding a Raiders jersey on stage come April 23.

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