Fernando Mendoza might realistically start before veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, at least he preparing to do so. An NFL insider gave an insight into the Las Vegas Raiders’ strategy ahead, days before the 2026 Draft. Heisman Trophy winner Mendoza is expected to go to the Raiders with the No 1 overall pick.
Fernando Mendoza vs Kirk Cousins
The Raiders have already acquired Cousins, who has a proven track record, and makes a strong case for Week 1. The team’s general manager, John Spytek, had recently spoke about the internal competition. He also kept Aidan O’Connell a part of his response.
“Ultimately, this is a meritocracy, and the best guy will play. It’s just really hard to play really well at a young age, but we’ve seen plenty of quarterbacks do it recently. And how that goes going forward here, we added Kirk, we have Aidan, and we’ll see how it goes. But the best man will play,” Spytek said.
Mendoza learning the Raiders way
However, as per insider Louis Riddick, Mendoza is already prepping like a starter.
“[Mendoza is working on] everything from … how are your feet are supposed to be positioned so you can best get out from underneath center with efficiency and timing… It’s something that’s repeatable, something you realize you can really depend upon,” Riddick said on ‘Up and Adams’.
The former safety gave an insight into the Indiana star’s training in Las Vegas.
“The emphasis of the play fakes, when you’re doing play action, because everyone says, ‘Fernando didn’t play under center. He doesn’t know how to execute play action. The ball handling is going to be weird to him.’ These are all the things that Brian [Griese] is drumming into his head, the timing and the footwork and how it’s supposed to match up with how the routes are run, and when the ball is supposed to come out of your hand,” Riddick said.
“Brian was a technician. That’s what allowed him to survive in the NFL. … For Fernando, obviously, it’s a lot of new learning. He talked to me about that when I went out there for his pro day. But he’s already way ahead of the game. He’s already on it. Brian has already texted me and said, ‘Look, he’s way ahead of where maybe people think he is at this point, in terms of learning what the West Coast system is all about, the kind that he’s going to run under Klint [Kubiak] out there in Vegas.’”
