PITTSBURGH — Make no mistake, the Raiders’ NFL draft will essentially be made or broken by Fernando Mendoza, the Indiana Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback whom the Raiders selected with the 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 in Auburn’s Keyron Crawford and 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 more the Raiders and 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.
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“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.
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 made a Day 3 trade with the Bills to move from the second pick in the fourth round to the first to draft McCoy.
McCoy expressed disappointment but understanding about his fall. He said Saturday he will follow whatever advice the Raiders and their medical team supply about additional surgery.
“All my doctors who did my surgery, they told me I’m good. I feel like I’m good,” McCoy said. “But if there’s something that they’re wanting me to do for the longevity of my career, I’m willing to do that. I’m going to listen to the team because I feel like they have my best interest for me. So, honestly, just whatever the team’s plan for me is I’m going to do that.”
Even if the Raiders have to wait a year on McCoy, if he eventually gets past the knee issue, he has a chance to be the draft’s best cornerback. The possibility of that made the fourth-round investment worth the risk.
The Raiders closed their draft by adding Arizona safety Dalton Johnson (Stukes’ former secondary mate) and Cal cornerback Hezekiah Masses in the fifth round.
In the sixth, they finally addressed their wide receiver need with Malik Benson, a speedster from Oregon, then added North Carolina State defensive tackle Brandon Cleveland in the seventh round.
Grade: A
Mendoza is the headliner, but the Raiders also added players who have a real chance to be a big part of their revival. And if McCoy hits big, they got the biggest steal in the draft.