Will Raiders QB Fernando Mendoza outshine other rookie QBs in 2026?
· Yahoo Sports
Las Vegas Raiders star Fernando Mendoza is expected to be a franchise quarterback in the league. However, whether or not he plays above his peers in the 2026 NFL Draft class next season remains to be seen.
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NFL.com’s Gennaro Filice named Mendoza to his All-Rookie Team for next season, as the quarterback that will outperform the other rookies at the position.
“The Raiders are telling anyone who will listen that they intend to slow-play Mendoza’s NFL integration, suggesting veteran signee Kirk Cousins could hold the starting reins far longer than most anticipate. Color me skeptical -- overwhelmingly so. Carson Palmer is the last No. 1 overall pick to get a redshirt season, spending the entire 2003 campaign on the sideline. In the intervening years, 16 quarterbacks went first overall and all of them saw the field in Year 1. …I expect Mendoza to play a lot in 2026, which isn’t something you can say about any other rookie QB, even if Carson Beck has a chance to eventually get snaps in Arizona. This is the most obvious pick of this exercise.”
Mendoza has the potential to put up big numbers in 2026. The only thing that could get in the way of Mendoza outperforming his peers is a great season from Cousins.
The other top rookie quarterbacks include Ty Simpson (Los Angeles Rams), Carson Beck (Arizona Cardinals), and Cade Klubnick (New York Jets).
Simpson will play behind AP MVP Matt Stafford in Los Angeles next season and is unlikely to get a start on the year. Beck will be behind Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew in Arizona. Clubnick is behind Geno Smith in the Jets’ depth chart. All three will likely only see the field in the event of injuries to starters.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Will Raiders QB Fernando Mendoza outshine other rookie QBs in 2026?