PITTSBURGH — Make no mistake, the Raiders’ NFL draft will essentially be made or broken byFernando Mendoza, the Indiana Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback whom the Raiders selected withthe first overall pick.
No matter what they did over their next nine picks, and it ranged from adding a Day 1-caliber starting safety in Arizona’s Treydan Stukes, a high-upside edge rusher inAuburn’s Keyron Crawfordand a potential home run in Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy — a top-15 talent who fell to the fourth round because of concerns about his surgically repaired right knee — the Raiders will be judged by Mendoza, who is tasked with being the franchise-altering quarterback they have been seeking for decades.
But the morethe Raidersand the NFL got to know Mendoza over the last few years, culminating with the magical run he orchestrated in Bloomington, leading Indiana, of all programs, to the national championship, the more drawn they were to the reasons why he’ll succeed rather than fail.
“His skill set fits with any offense in professional football,” Raiders coach Klint Kubiak said. “Obviously, the No. 1 thing that I love about Fernando is his leadership, the way that he relates to his teammates and his ability to win. We’re looking for a competitor to be our quarterback, and he went 16-0 last year with a heck of a team, and he led that group. So, love his athleticism, his ability to throw accurately down the field, he’s very accurate, but at the end of the day, he’s a bright, intelligent leader.”
The Raiders’ draft began and maybe ended with Mendoza, but it wasn’t limited to him by any means. Kubiak, general manager John Spytek and minority owner Tom Brady, who plays a significant role in the club’s decision-making, are determined to play a role in their new quarterback succeeding, not failing.
Just as that objective shaped their entire offseason, so too did their draft, which included help along the offensive line in Texas A&M guard Trey Zuhn III, at running back with Arkansas’ Mike Washington Jr., and the high-upside of Stukes, Crawford and McCoy.
McCoy, in particular, can help push this draft to an even higher level. But that will depend on his health.
The Tennessee star was arguably the country’s best cornerback before suffering a torn ACL during the 2024 season playoffs. The injury cost him all of last season, and while he was able to post a 4.38 40-yard, a 38-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-7 broad jump at his Tennessee pro day last month, recent reports surfaced indicating he might need additional knee surgery to replace a bone plug used to address a cartilage defect in his knee.
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The uncertainty it created led to a massive draft weekend slide, pushing a player who was considered CB1 in this draft all the way to the fourth round. The Raiders madea Day 3 tradewith the Bills to move from the second pick in the fourth round to the first to draft McCoy.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
