The Las Vegas Raiders‘ QB situation is one of the talking points in this OTAs period of the offseason. This offseason, the Silver and Black brought in Kirk Cousins as a veteran presence, but also drafted Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick.
As a result, OTAs, mandatory minicamps, training camp, and the preseason will play a major role in who the Raiders pick to be their starting QB. However, CBS Sports’ Emory Hunt believes that the Raiders shouldn’t go with the veteran signal-caller.
“There’s no upside to playing a Kirk Cousins over a Fernando Mendoza, especially when you’ve bolstered the offensive line around him,” Hunt said in a May 26 video from the “Ross Tucker Podcast.”
Moreover, Hunt explains why he believes Mendoza is ready to start right away, and that it isn’t a situation where the Raiders would be throwing the young QB to the wolves to see if the rookie can handle the NFL game.
“I strongly believe he should play right away because one of the reasons you liked him as a prospect was his high floor in terms of football IQ,” Hunt noted. “He doesn’t make mistakes. He helps keep the offense on pace.”
Last season with the Indiana Hoosiers, Mendoza had 336 dropbacks, resulting in an 87.9 overall PFF grade while recording 2,758 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, and five interceptions.
Moreover, he registered 16 big-time throws and nine turnover-worthy plays. Meanwhile, on the ground, Mendoza added 200 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns.
Fernando Mendoza Looks Ready to Start Right Away
Hunt did state that there are Run-Pass Option (RPO) concerns about Mendoza. Still, the analyst went into further detail on why he sees the former Indiana star as a player ready to play right away rather than sitting behind a veteran.
“You have some concerns about the RPO offense he came out of, but he makes the plays that are there to be made,” Hunt added. “And when the game needs it, when you really need to lock in, he’s able to handle that pressure. We saw that game after game in the postseason.”
It will be interesting to see how the Raiders approach this situation and what goes into their decision on who their starter will be to start the season. Nonetheless, until that happens, there will be plenty of takes on how the Silver and Black should go about this decision-making process.
Raiders OC Doesn’t Hold Back on Fernando Mendoza
Recently, on May 18, the Raiders’ YouTube channel posted a video featuring the team’s new offensive coordinator, Andrew Janocko, who shared his initial thoughts on Mendoza now that the player has been in their facilities for a couple of weeks.
“[Mendoza is] a tremendous worker [and] he’s somebody who wants to know the whys behind everything, the story behind everything, not just what we’re calling, but why we’re calling it,” Janocko said.
“He wants to know the building blocks of the footwork, the building blocks of his vision, how he’s going to see it, and how he’s going to articulate it to the offense. He’s really just a sponge who wants to know everything.”
Raiders QB Kirk Cousins Gets Blunt Fernando Mendoza Message