Raiderstation

Call your shot....or add your own.

Dante Moore:

https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Dante-Moore-QB-UCLA

Fernando Mendoza:

https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Fer ... California

May the football godz look kindly down upon the feeble and inept.

With the QB room as-is, if they simply judge who should be the starting QB based on who plays the position best, by the 2nd game of the preseason, Mendo will be named the starter.

Only reason he wouldn’t is if the OLine isn’t up to snuff. Then despite Mendo being the superior QB, he sits to avoid being massacred.

GoodTimeCharlie wrote: Wed Feb 25, 2026 4:46 am With the QB room as-is, if they simply judge who should be the starting QB based on who plays the position best, by the 2nd game of the preseason, Mendo will be named the starter.

Only reason he wouldn’t is if the OLine isn’t up to snuff. Then despite Mendo being the superior QB, he sits to avoid massacre.

The O line wasn't something I took into consideration in my post. If the line is as bad as last year, sit Mendo the whole season, other than a few series here and there to let him taste the NFL. I doubt the O line will be as bad again... will it?

If the line isn't improved in any way shape or form, then everybody from the top down has failed miserably. So to me, it's a moot point.

Dr Death wrote: Wed Feb 25, 2026 4:51 am The O line wasn't something I took into consideration in my post. If the line is as bad as last year, sit Mendo the whole season, other than a few series here and there to let him taste the NFL. I doubt the O line will be as bad again... will it?

I’m of the belief that it’s damn near impossible to be as big of a shitshow as last season, but I suppose it’s the degree of how much better will the OLine be.

We’ve seen how tough Mendo is. Once he’s starting, that’s it. It’d be easier to chew through a mountain than get him off the field.

If we grab a Tyrod Taylor or Trubisky, maybe he sits anywhere from 4 to 8 games, but if it’s AOC, man, 2 games, maybe. Just can’t imagine AOC starting over Mendo unless it’s AOC being thrown to the wolves.

I'm of the mind that Mendoza is so good that you'd have to get a pretty substantial backup for him to beat out Mendoza for the starting job. Maybe I'm sipping koolaid but there is no doubt in my mind he's playing week 1.

tadow wrote: Tue Feb 24, 2026 8:39 pm I think Joe Flacco would be perfect in this role

Flacco is not interested in this role. He wants to start or retire - I saw him say it in an interview. He'll wait and see if an opportunity arises and if it doesn't then he'll hang em up. I don't think anyone who actually wants to start would have any interest in being a bridge to a #1 overall pick as that's likely no more than a month long starting job.

I also don't want to spend money on a guy who's actually good on the field - a guy who's good off the field is worth way more. I really think Mendoza is likely to start week 1, but it's also possible that we give him a little time first - like Drake Maye had.

chucker wrote: Wed Feb 25, 2026 5:32 am Flacco is not interested in this role. He wants to start or retire - I saw him say it in an interview. He'll wait and see if an opportunity arises and if it doesn't then he'll hang em up. I don't think anyone who actually wants to start would have any interest in being a bridge to a #1 overall pick as that's likely no more than a month long starting job.

I also don't want to spend money on a guy who's actually good on the field - a guy who's good off the field is worth way more. I really think Mendoza is likely to start week 1, but it's also possible that we give him a little time first - like Drake Maye had.

You have to go back to Baker as the last time the first overall pick did not start week one. In every instance going back to Peyton Manning, if a QB is taken first overall, they either start week 1 (extremely likely) or there is a QB on the team that gives the team a chance to win. Tyrod Taylor types of guys. Not good enough to keep the team from drafting a QB first overall, but not bad enough to not give the rookie a chance to learn from the sidelines. I personally want to accelerate Mendoza's learning curve so I want him out there from day one. You learn by doing. So I want a guy who is good enough to be able to help Mendoza learn but also bad enough that he will be holding his helmet to his ear during the game.

Jeevo wrote: Tue Feb 24, 2026 1:32 pm I'm fine with him not starting day 1 and think that rookie QBs can learn a lot about the differences in the NFL game, esp the speed and athleticism, while holding a clipboard.

Same here. Elway was having a terrible rookie season, so Dan Reeves benched him for a month. Elway said it was the best thing that could've happened to him because it gave him the chance to watch the game at the NFL level and better understand how the offense was supposed to be executed. If the plan is to have Mendoza for the next decade+ I'd have no problem seeing him on the sidelines for the first 6 or so games of his rookie season.

I think Kubiak will be able to simplify the offense enough that Mendoza should be the day one starter providing he’s healthy and is as intelligent a QB as we think he is. I expect a run heavy offense similar to Seattle that should make it easier for him to adjust to the speed of the pro game.

I have to admit that the Raiders owning the 1st overall pick and it being a slam dunk certainly takes away some of the suspense out of the first round. There’s really no point in getting invested in any of the other top five prospects. Not that I’m complaining though as this just goes to show why winning meaningless games down the stretch really can set a team back as holding on to beat the Texans would have us discussing Smith or some other retread bum as next season’s starting QB. Much gratitude to Tank Commander Pete Carroll.

“If you have a young quarterback, I’m not necessarily in favor of running him out there right away either. You want another quality player who can play the quarterback position, along with a strong offensive line and running game — all the things that can limit his chances of getting killed.”



I hope they sign fa linemen to "limit his chances of getting killed" so he can start day one.

KillerRaider30 wrote: Wed Feb 25, 2026 9:34 am “If you have a young quarterback, I’m not necessarily in favor of running him out there right away either. You want another quality player who can play the quarterback position, along with a strong offensive line and running game — all the things that can limit his chances of getting killed.”



I hope they sign fa linemen to "limit his chances of getting killed" so he can start day one.

13 days for teams to sign their own, then it begins. I do expect a few linemen to sign back with their teams but there is a lot of interest in teams grabbing anchors so players are going to wait and test the market.

This doesn’t surprise me

Like most, I'm so happy that we're drafting a QB at #1 but what's even better is that I absolutely love that he's the type of QB I want most. I don't go crazy for the physical traits - as long as there's a minimum standard met. Mendoza's superpowers are that he's cerebral, hard-working, tough, clutch - those are the traits that set the best guys apart.

chucker wrote: Wed Feb 25, 2026 7:27 pm Like most, I'm so happy that we're drafting a QB at #1 but what's even better is that I absolutely love that he's the type of QB I want most. I don't go crazy for the physical traits - as long as there's a minimum standard met. Mendoza's superpowers are that he's cerebral, hard-working, tough, clutch - those are the traits that set the best guys apart.

Agreeed. So many consensus top QBs recently I’ve had zero interest in.

chucker wrote: Wed Feb 25, 2026 7:27 pm Like most, I'm so happy that we're drafting a QB at #1 but what's even better is that I absolutely love that he's the type of QB I want most. I don't go crazy for the physical traits - as long as there's a minimum standard met. Mendoza's superpowers are that he's cerebral, hard-working, tough, clutch - those are the traits that set the best guys apart.

Right there with ya. I remember reading his draft profile last year when mock simulators had him available in the 4th Round. I’d draft him every time. Hits all the right notes for me.

The only “cerebral” QB my pea-brain can come up with that didn’t have success in the NFL is one Joshua Ballinger Lippincott Rosen. And come on, with that name, we probably should have known. Just never knew his full name until just now lookin’ him up.

I’ve been a Raider man through all this miserable horseshit. Which has been like identifying as a widower. We haven’t had a player that gives me all the straight fan-vibes in a long long f’n time. He’s got me wanting his jersey and he hasn’t played a snap. Fuckin’ A. Helluva offseason.

LET’S GO MENDO!!!