"I WOULDN’T DRAFT FERNANDO MENDOZA!"— DAN PATRICK’S SHOCKING WARNING FOR THE LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
Despite Dan Patrick’s scepticism, mock drafts slate Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza to the Las Vegas Raiders with the No. 1 pick.
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The Las Vegas Raiders looked dead in the water this season—until they landed the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The quarterback class isn’t great this year, but there’s one name nobody can ignore: Fernando Mendoza, fresh off a Heisman and a national title with Indiana. Everyone expects the Raiders to grab him first overall.
But not everybody’s convinced. Sure, Mendoza has a strong arm, he’s smart, he’s 6-foot-5, and his teammates love him. On paper, he’s exactly what most teams want running the show. Still, some folks, like NBC Sports’ Dan Patrick, aren’t sold. Patrick said on his show, “I don’t know if Fernando Mendoza is a great quarterback. He’s a great story, but I wouldn’t draft him number one if I were the Raiders.”
That kind of scepticism isn’t new. The Raiders have holes everywhere, and a rookie quarterback won’t fix everything overnight. But let’s be real—a good quarterback changes the whole picture. People will keep talking about trading down for more picks, but that doesn’t feel like the Raiders’ move.
Look at Ayrton Ostly’s latest USA Today mock draft. He has the Raiders picking Mendoza at No. 1. Ostly wrote, “Mendoza led Indiana to the programme’s first national championship and showed exactly why he’ll be the No. 1 pick. Las Vegas has lots of needs, but they can’t pass up a new franchise quarterback to kick off a new era.”
Here’s the thing: The Raiders don’t have a loaded roster. Kolton Miller is solid at left tackle, but the rest of the offensive line needs help. They don’t have a reliable receiver, either. But Brock Bowers is a star at tight end when he’s healthy, and running back Ashton Jeanty looks like a future game-breaker.
The Raiders have only picked first overall twice before. You don’t get that chance often. If they pass on Mendoza now, who knows when they’ll get another shot at a top quarterback? People like to say the Raiders will be bad again next year with Geno Smith and end up with another high pick, but even in a brutal season, they nearly lost the top spot. It’s just easier to build around your quarterback than to hope everything else falls into place, and you still manage to land your guy later.
NFL EXECUTIVE NAMES COLE PAYTON HIS "NO. 2 QUARTERBACK" IN THE 2026 CLASS
From 94.6 PFF grades to 4.56 speed, Cole Payton is the Eagles' latest QB project. Analysing his path to the NFL depth chart.
Cole Payton, who played quarterback at North Dakota State, might end up making a bigger splash as a fifth-round pick than people expect.
He’s not just another late-round flyer, either. An NFL executive recently told insider J.L. Canfora that Payton has real upside. The Eagles have done something similar before, so this isn't coming out of nowhere.
Remember Carson Wentz? Philly grabbed him with the second overall pick back in 2016, but Jalen Hurts ended up taking over. Now, some people around the league think history might repeat itself with Payton possibly replacing Hurts down the road.
The executive went all in on Payton: “You know, I believe in that kid. That was my No. 2 quarterback in the draft. And Howie [Roseman] takes him? Come on. He sees it too. Cole Payton, if you bring him along the right way, can start in this league.”
Roseman, the guy in Philly’s front office, was a big part of the Wentz pick. He’s seen his fair share of quarterback changes over the years, and honestly, that might matter this time, too.
The executive didn’t hold back: “All the stuff you hear about Hurts, all the drama and where he is in his contract." You can call me crazy, but I think this kid could take over from him in a few years. They did this with [Kevin] Kolb, even when [Donovan] McNabb was still there. I know how Howie thinks. This kid has a chance.”
Payton had to wait for his turn at NDSU.
Payton rolled into North Dakota State in 2021, known as a strong recruit for an FCS quarterback, straight out of Omaha.
He was supposed to be the next big thing, just like the string of successful Bison quarterbacks before him. But things didn’t break that way at first. Cam Miller, the QB ahead of him, kept stacking up wins and making a name for himself in Fargo.
Miller even beat out Quincy Patterson II, a gifted dual-threat quarterback who transferred in from Virginia Tech. After Patterson got banged up in 2021, Miller took over, steered the team to a national championship, and then hung on to the starting job through 2024.
Patterson left for Temple, so Payton slid into the Bison’s running packages in a spot that Patterson had filled before. And Payton did more than just fill that role. In 2022, he ran for 284 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries. By the next year, he really took off: 615 yards and 13 touchdowns on 84 carries.
Setback, then a breakout
Payton started 2024 looking like the same kind of threat on the ground, but a shoulder injury cut his season short. He only managed 164 rushing yards and a score on 21 carries before he went down.
Finally, in 2025, his shot as the full-time starter arrived after Miller left for the NFL draft, drafted by the Raiders in the sixth round. Payton made the most of it. He led NDSU to an unbeaten 12-0 regular season, completing 70% of his passes for 2,719 yards, with 16 touchdowns and just four picks. And he still ran wild, with 777 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 136 carries.
Now, he’s got a fresh chance in Philadelphia. If you ask people around the league, he’s not just there to hold a clipboard. They're watching to see what happens next.
DAVE ROBERTS COMPARES LEFTY JUSTIN WROBLESKI TO CLAYTON KERSHAW AFTER METS GEM
Discover how Justin Wrobleski transitioned from the bullpen to becoming the Dodgers' statistical leader in a historic 2026 run.
Dave Roberts gets it; he isn’t surprised Logan Webb might’ve hit Daulton Rushing with a pitch.
But there's something else on his mind: Justin Wrobleski. The Dodgers have a fresh-faced lefty in the rotation, and Wrobleski isn’t just holding his own; he’s shining. Roberts can’t help but see shades of Clayton Kershaw in him, and he’s letting people know it.
Wrobleski’s just 25, fresh out of Oklahoma State, but don’t let the age fool you. He’s pitched 36 innings as a starter with a 1.25 ERA, the best mark in the National League. People are starting to talk. Roberts definitely is. The Kershaw comparisons are already swirling, and they don’t sound that far-fetched if you watch Wrobleski work.
On Monday, he diced up the Mets by going right after hitters, pitch after pitch. Roberts has been around long enough to recognise the approach. “He’s got a great mentor in Clayton,” Roberts said, “and sometimes, it really feels like he channels Kershaw’s mentality. Attack guys, force them to put the ball in play.”
Just look at what he did to the Cardinals on Sunday. Six scoreless innings, only one walk, six hits – nothing fancy, just solid pitching. That’s two starts in a row; he’s thrown up six scoreless frames. Last year, Wrobleski mostly worked out of the bullpen. But with Blake Snell hurt and Emmet Sheehan shaky, Roberts gave him a shot, and Wrobleski ran with it. In 2025, he struck out 76 over 66 innings but had a 4.32 ERA. He got swings and misses back then, but in 2026, the punchouts dropped. Just 15 in 36 innings. Still, his control and poise jumped another level.
Roberts sees it up close. Sometimes he even jokes about the similarities. “He wears Skechers like Clayton does,” Roberts grinned. “He does his side work in his full jersey, just like Kershaw.”
Reporters asked Wrobleski about admiring a legend like Kershaw now that he’s part of the Dodgers mix. His answer’s honest: “Just watching him every day was something special for me,” Wrobleski said. “Not everyone gets to be around guys who are legends of the game.”
So yeah, it’s early. Comparisons can sound wild. But as long as Wrobleski keeps pitching this way, the talk isn’t stopping anytime soon.
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