2026 NFL Draft results: Raiders select QB Fernando Mendoza with top pick

After being on the unofficial clock the past nearly four months, the Raiders were finally on the official clock for the 2026 NFL Draft. Having their pick of any prospect, they made the obvious choice and got the guy they see as their long term franchise quarterback.

With the first overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders selected...

Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

(cue music)

Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall pick to Raiders graphic

The pick everyone saw coming since Mendoza completed his historic 16-0 season to lead the Indiana Hoosiers to the National Championship. Along the way he won the Heisman, silenced all doubters, and put distance between himself and all other contenders.

The 6-foot-5 signal caller is the unquestioned highest value player in this draft and easily the only quarterback worthy of the top pick, making him the obvious choice for a Raiders team that has been in need of a franchise quarterback for a long time.

While this pick was not steepd in mystery, it was full of excitement. Both for the Raiders franchise and their fans or Mendoza himself who has had the luxury of knowing where he would be going all offseason and thus getting a jump on his preparations.

Mendoza joins veteran addition Kirk Cousins and returning former starter Aidan O'Connell in the QB room in Las Vegas. There is expected to be a competition between Mendoza and Cousins for the starting job to begin the season, with both more than willing to concede the job to whoever new head coach Klint Kubiak chooses at that point.

This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: 2026 NFL Draft results: Raiders select QB Fernando Mendoza at No. 1