NFL General News

The Raiders have 26 days until it becomes official. For now, it seems increasingly likely that Las Vegas will be using the first overall pick in the 2026 draft on Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

Appearing on Friday’s Pat McAfee Show, NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said that Mendoza is learning the Raiders’ offense, under the supervision of former NFL quarterback and assistant coach Brian Griese.
“Fernando Mendoza is working with Brian Griese right now, and it’s not so much that they’re working on footwork,” Jeremiah said, via Matt Holder of SB Nation. “They’re installing the Raiders’ offense. He’s full speed ahead. This is the same thing that happened with [Joe] Burrow, where you can use this time to really try and learn the core verbiage and concepts along with an offense.”...

Fernando Mendoza is learning the Raiders’ offense
 
The way the "experts" talk about this draft, there's going to be an early drop off in talent in the first round, but some depth in the "B" player area. If they're right, you might be better off if your team trades down and grabs extra picks.
To put it lightly, this draft is going to be a steaming turd compared to next year. Whether teams will be smart or not for it, there will be an early run on QBs. You want flexibility to move around on day 1 and day 2 next year.

This one? Eh. I’m not even going to bother writing blog posts about it. I’ll just react to the picks with my thoughts as they come in.
 
To put it lightly, this draft is going to be a steaming turd compared to next year. Whether teams will be smart or not for it, there will be an early run on QBs. You want flexibility to move around on day 1 and day 2 next year.

This one? Eh. I’m not even going to bother writing blog posts about it. I’ll just react to the picks with my thoughts as they come in.


This year's draft actually sets up pretty well for the Patriots, because the 3 positions being touted as the strongest ("edge", linebacker, IOL) match up with Patriots' needs. If I were still doing deep dives into the draft, that's where I'd focus my attention.
 
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