HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — This week for the Las Vegas Raiders will be known, for better or worse, as the Fernando Mendoza draft after he was taken first overall on Thursday night.
The organization’s 2007 NFL draft is still remembered as the flop that became quarterback JaMarcus Russell when he was the top pick. It didn’t help it also was an underwhelming draft class for the then-Oakland Raiders.
Current Raiders management has been doing what it can to relieve stress on Mendoza by spending big in free agency, using nine other picks to try to add more talent and signing veteran quarterback in Kirk Cousins so that the rookie doesn’t necessarily have to start right away.
But Mendoza will play, whether that’s at the beginning of the season or later. Raiders coaches and officials need to know what they have in Mendoza — who won the Heisman Trophy and led Indiana to the national championship — and whether he indeed is their franchise QB.
In the meantime, the Raiders seem genuinely excited to have Mendoza, even throwing a party for him at their indoor practice facility Friday that attracted about 2,000 fans.
There is an optimism inside the Raiders facility that hasn’t existed in some time, and general manager John Spytek made it clear he shut down offers that came his way to trade out of the top spot.
“I think any coach is excited to work with a big, athletic, talented thrower that is extremely smart and a very driven worker, and that’s been our experience with Fernando,” Spytek said. “That’s a great starting spot for any quarterback.”
In a bid to surround Mendoza with talent, the Raiders also drafted Texas A&M interior offensive lineman Trey Zuhn III in the third round, Arkansas running back Mike Washington Jr. in the fourth and Oregon wide receiver Malik Benson in the sixth.
Las Vegas also sought defensive help, especially targeting the secondary by selecting Arizona safeties Treydan Stukes (second round) and Dalton Johnson (fifth) as well as cornerbacks Jermod McCoy of Tennessee in the fourth and Hezekiah Masses of California in the fifth.
The Raiders took Auburn defensive end Keyron Crawford in the third round and North Carolina State defensive tackle Brandon Cleveland in the seventh.
High ceiling, big risk
Had he been healthy last season, McCoy might have been a top-10 pick, but he had to wait until the first selection of the final day.
The Raiders swapped draft places with Buffalo and sent the Bills a 2027 seventh-round pick to take McCoy.
McCoy missed last season because of an ACL tear, and reports surfaced recently that he might need another surgery to address a second issue with the same knee.
“All my doctors that did my surgery, they told me I’m good,” McCoy said. “I feel like I’m good, but if there’s something that they’re wanting me to do for the longevity of my career, I’m willing to do that. I’m going to listen to the team, because I feel like they have my best interest for me.”
Brandon Hunt, the Raiders’ vice president of player personnel, said no decision has been made on whether McCoy needs a second procedure.
“We felt good about it at where we took him,” Hunt said. “It was an opportunity to get value. This is arguably the best corner in the draft, and we feel like we have great people and a great process to make sure we get the best out of each player.”
Wilson’s time in Las Vegas ends
The Raiders drafted defensive end Tyree Wilson with the seventh overall pick in 2023, envisioning that he and Maxx Crosby would form a destructive pass-rush combination.
It didn’t work out that way. Wilson had just 12 sacks over three seasons. Crosby had 32 over the same span.
And now, Wilson’s gone.
The Raiders packaged him in a trade with New Orleans, also sending a seventh-round pick in exchange for the Saints’ fifth-round selection, which turned into Johnson.
“It was just an opportunity for a fresh start, a fresh start for him, a fresh start for us,” Hunt said.
Multiple threats create flexibility
Stukes and Zuhn are capable of playing more than one position.
Stukes played safety and cornerback at Arizona. Zuhn was the left tackle at Texas A&M, but also started two games at center last season.
“Versatility is awesome, but wherever they were put, they were OK with and they proved themselves to be pretty good football players,” Spytek said.
Players also stand out in the classroom
Washington is pursuing a master’s degree that he expects to get next spring. His mother has a doctorate in psychology and his father is an investigator.
Stukes had a 4.0 grade-point average in high school, graduated two years ago from Arizona and was an academic All-Big 12 Conference selection.
“We used to have a coach that said, ‘The days of the dumb jock are over,’ and it’s very true,” Stukes said. “You have to be smart to play high-level football. There’s a lot of moving parts. There’s a lot of things going on, and if you want to be able to keep up and adjust in real time, you got to have the brain processing power to do so, especially playing safety. You’re the quarterback of the defense.”
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