John Spytek wanted to make sure everyone knew one important aspect of the Raiders drafting Fernando Mendoza
The Las Vegas Raiders got their franchise guy, but general manager John Spytek wanted everyone to know they did it the right way.
The Las Vegas Raiders made Fernando Mendoza the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. As expected, fans waited in suspense for official confirmation, and now they have it.
While we all knew this would happen, the Raiders still wanted to do this the right way. They wanted to go through the process in the right way, just to make sure they were going to make the right pick. This franchise has been burned by first-round picks before, maybe way too often. In fact, they have been in a nearly exact situation before, and it burned them. John Spytek wanted everyone to know that the Raiders were doing everything they could to ensure it didn’t happen again.
Raiders GM John Spytek wants everyone to know about the process
“We had a great process and promised ourselves the ownership and fans that we would do this the right way. Every step of the way, he checked boxes… He made it pretty easy for us,” Spytek said after the draft.
The Raiders had to get this process right, too. They especially had to when you look back at how they have failed to get a franchise quarterback in the past, even the last few years.
In recent years, the Raiders have wanted two quarterbacks but couldn’t draft them. They tried trading up for C.J. Stroud and Jayden Daniels, with Pierce’s connection to Daniels as motivation, but both efforts failed. Stroud and Daniels have led their teams to success, and Bo Nix, who went just ahead of the Raiders, reached the AFC Championship. After multiple setbacks, the Raiders now have Mendoza. The challenge is building a strong team around him.
Now, who knows, Mendoza may not end up being anywhere near what those guys are. Or, he may end up being better. We don’t know right now, but we do know that the Raiders did their homework. We know they did enough to be confident that Mendoza can be the QB for one of the most iconic brands in sports.
