After being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft by the Las Vegas Radiers, Hoosier hero Fernando Mendoza is gearing up for his first NFL season. As the Heisman Trophy-winning QB continues to put in the work this spring, the main question surrounding Mendoza is whether or not he will be Las Vegas' starting quarterback in Week 1.
Prior to the draft, Raiders GM John Spytek stated that he doesn't necessarily want to just throw the keys to the franchise to a rookie QB right from the jump. In addition, the Raiders brought in 14-year NFL veteran gunslinger Kirk Cousins this offseason. His presence makes for an intriguing quarterback competition over the next few months.
Nonetheless, it's clear that the Raiders are building their franchise around Mendoza. Even if Cousins starts early on, it won't be a long-term situation. With that in mind, the latest projection surrounding Mendoza's potential NFL starting debut raises plenty of question marks.
CBS Sports prediction for Fernando Mendoza's NFL debut doesn't make much sense
Garrett Podell of CBS Sports is among the latest NFL analysts to offer up a prediction for when Mendoza will make his first start with the Raiders. He landed on Week 3 against the Saints. It's an interesting prediction, and one with many flaws.
"It will be incredibly invaluable for Mendoza to observe Cousins' game-week routine that's allowed him to enter his 15th NFL season in 2026, but there will become a point where the first overall pick will need to play in order to truly develop. That ideal point would probably be Week 3 at the New Orleans Saints. Doing so would allow Mendoza to see how Cousins prepares to face both a rebuilding team like the Dolphins and a 2025 playoff team with a stout defense like the Los Angeles Chargers before taking the field himself against another rebuilding team in the Saints."Garrett Podell
Podell isn't wrong in his assessment of Mendoza needing to play sooner rather than later in order to advance his development. He is one of the best QB prospects in recent memory, and given the state of the rebuilding Raiders, getting him in the mix at the right time is essential.
But Week 3? That would be a peculiar strategy from Las Vegas.
How valuable could those first two weeks be for Cousins to start over Mendoza? Sure, Mendoza sitting back and watching how Cousins prepares and goes about his business can be helpful, but it's not like two weeks of that process will dramatically change Mendoza's career trajectory.
In addition, giving Cousins only two games as the starter wouldn't be enough time to get a sense of where the Raiders stand as a team with the 14-year vet leading the way. That's such a small sample size. Plus, an experienced veteran QB like Cousins has earned a longer leash than just two games.
But perhaps the biggest question of all with this prediction is if Mendoza is ready to start by Week 3, why not just send him out there in the season opener? If he is trending to be the starter for the majority of the season but is held off the field for the first two weeks, it could alter more than just his preparation. It would force the Raiders as a whole to prepare with Cousins leading the team in the weeks leading up to Week 1 and then quickly change gears and go in a different direction after an extremely short amount of time. For a rebuilding team, that sounds a bit risky and chaotic.
Having as much structure in place as possible could be a massive key in Klint Kubiak's first season. Sitting Mendoza for two weeks and then starting him in Week 3 may not be what's best for the Raiders or Mendoza.
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