Mendoza to Raiders: Draft's Top Pick Skips Event

0:00On April 7th, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is the heavy favorite to go number one overall in the 2026 NFL draft, but he won't be. Suting up in Pittsburgh for the big moment, he'll be chilling with family in Miami when the Las Vegas Raiders hold the top pick on April 23rd. Raiders coach Clint Kubiak is already hyping Mendoza, calling him a national champ, a winner, tall and smart. This is just the second time in team history, the Raiders snag the first pick. They last did it in 2007, with your Marcus Russell from LSU. Meanwhile, Vegas beefed up their QB room by signing veteran Kurt Cousins, the 37-year-old four-time pro-boulder, cut by Atlanta. Cousins and Kubiak go way back from three years in Minnesota, where Kubiak coached him as QB coach and offensive coordinator. Mendoza is seen as pro-ready right away, but he might sit and learn behind Cousins for a bit. He's not the first top pick to skip the draft. Trevon Walker stayed home in Georgia back in 2022, and Trevor Lawrence did the same win.

1:05Jacksonville took him. Expect the draft to kick off at 8 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, April 23rd at a Christian stadium, with Mendoza's name likely echoing first as the. Raiders start a new era. From around the league, powered by AI, this is NFL News Today. I'm Cory with the story.