Las Vegas has its new star.
The Raiders selected Indiana University quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first-overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft on Thursday.
Mendoza lit the college world on fire in 2025, throwing for 3,535 yards and a Big Ten-leading 41 touchdown passes en route to winning the Heisman Trophy and the Hoosiers’ first football national championship.
The 22-year-old now joins Aidan O’Connell and Kirk Cousins in a rebuilt Raiders QB room. The team sent Geno Smith to the New York Jets after Smith went 2-13 as a starter last season.