Overview
- Las Vegas enters Week 18 positioned for the top pick and can clinch it with a loss to the Chiefs, placing the franchise in control of the quarterback board.
- Part-owner Tom Brady praised Mendoza’s leadership and relatability on a Fox Sports panel following Indiana’s Rose Bowl win.
- NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero said it is hard to imagine anyone other than Mendoza going first given a thin quarterback class and the Raiders’ need at the position.
- An assistant GM told Jordan Schultz he would love to see Mendoza in Vegas, citing Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty as a young core and emphasizing the priority of an offensive-minded head coach.
- Assessments remain split, with an ex-scout giving Mendoza a fourth-round grade and analysts keeping Dante Moore and Ty Simpson in play, even as Mendoza’s Heisman year and 14-of-16, 3‑TD Rose Bowl strengthened his No. 1 case.