Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is already studying the Las Vegas Raiders‘ playbook ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, a strong signal that the Silver and Black intend to pull the trigger on the top overall pick. NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah reported Friday on the Pat McAfee Show that Mendoza has been working through the Raiders’ offense with Brian Griese, a former NFL quarterback who most recently served as the San Francisco 49ers’ QB coach from 2022 to 2024.
The timing here is deliberate. Las Vegas holds the No. 1 overall pick, and this kind of pre-draft installation work — getting a prospect reps in your scheme before he ever sets foot in an NFL facility — is not something front offices do casually. The Raiders are not window-shopping. They are measuring Mendoza for the uniform.
How Klint Kubiak and Brian Griese Connect the Dots
New Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak and Brian Griese share a direct professional history that makes this pre-draft arrangement less surprising than it looks on the surface. Kubiak served as the 49ers’ passing game coordinator in 2023, working alongside Griese on a San Francisco staff that guided the franchise to an NFC Championship. That shared background gives Mendoza a familiar bridge between his private tutor and the head coach now running the Raiders’ offense.
Breaking down the advanced metrics on Kubiak’s offensive philosophy, his time in San Francisco centered on play-action rate manipulation and getting quarterbacks into rhythm throws early in progressions — the kind of scheme that rewards a QB with a quick release and strong pre-snap processing. Mendoza’s collegiate tape at Indiana showed exactly those traits, which is why the fit makes structural sense beyond just draft positioning. The numbers suggest Kubiak’s system is built for a passer like Mendoza, not retrofitted around him.
Kubiak is not a name that carries decades of head-coaching baggage, but his pedigree runs deep. His father, Gary Kubiak, won a Super Bowl as offensive coordinator with the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50 and later as head coach. Klint grew up in NFL meeting rooms. That football DNA, combined with his 49ers experience under Kyle Shanahan, shapes an offense built on pre-snap motion, wide-zone runs, and play-action bootlegs — a scheme that historically demands a mobile, accurate quarterback who can extend plays. Mendoza fits that profile.
What Does Fernando Mendoza Bring to the Raiders?
Fernando Mendoza is the consensus top quarterback prospect in the 2026 class, and the Raiders’ pre-draft investment in his development signals the organization views him as a franchise cornerstone. At Indiana, Mendoza operated a pro-style system and demonstrated the arm talent, pocket awareness, and decision-making speed that NFL evaluators covet in a first-overall-pick quarterback. His willingness to engage in early scheme study also tells you something about the kid’s makeup.
From a salary cap strategy standpoint, selecting Mendoza first overall locks Las Vegas into a four-year rookie contract under the current CBA structure, with a fifth-year option available after Year 3. For a franchise that has cycled through quarterbacks — Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo, Aidan O’Connell, Gardner Minshew — without finding a long-term answer, a cost-controlled rookie deal on a top prospect represents the most efficient path to rebuilding around the position. The Raiders’ front office brass clearly read that math correctly.
There is a counterargument worth acknowledging: pre-draft scheme work does not guarantee a player goes where expected, and NFL Draft history is full of sure things that unraveled. The Raiders could still pivot to a trade-down scenario if another team offers significant draft capital for the No. 1 spot. Based on available data, though, the Mendoza-to-Las Vegas pipeline looks as locked in as anything gets before Commissioner Roger Goodell steps to the podium in April.
Las Vegas Raiders’ Rebuild: Key Developments
- Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network broke the Mendoza scheme-study news during a Friday appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, citing it as a sign the Raiders are committed to the pick.
- Brian Griese, who is privately tutoring Mendoza, worked as the 49ers’ QB coach across three seasons from 2022 through 2024 before departing San Francisco.
- Klint Kubiak’s specific role on the 49ers’ 2023 staff was passing game coordinator — a position focused on route concepts, protection schemes, and quarterback-receiver timing.
- The 2023 San Francisco 49ers reached the NFC Championship Game, the season during which Kubiak and Griese overlapped on the coaching staff.
- Bleacher Report noted that the Raiders’ door is described as “wide open” for a new quarterback era under Kubiak, with Mendoza framed as the centerpiece of that transition.
What Happens Next for the Raiders’ Quarterback Search?
Las Vegas Raiders general manager Tom Telesco and Kubiak are building toward an April draft that, based on current reporting, ends with Mendoza in a Raiders helmet. The pre-draft coaching arrangement accelerates Mendoza’s mental processing of the playbook, which shortens the typical rookie adjustment curve. If the Raiders stay at No. 1 — and every signal points that direction — Mendoza could enter training camp with weeks of scheme familiarity that most first-overall picks simply do not have.
The AFC West context makes the urgency clear. Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs have dominated the division for the better part of a decade, winning multiple Super Bowls while Las Vegas has missed the playoffs in four of the last five seasons. The Chargers added quarterback Justin Herbert to a rebuilt roster, and the Denver Broncos are in their own rebuild. For the Raiders, landing a franchise quarterback in 2026 is not an organizational preference — it is an existential requirement for divisional relevance. Mendoza represents the best shot at closing that gap.
Tracking this trend over three seasons of Raiders quarterback decisions, the front office has consistently failed to commit to a single long-term answer at the position. That pattern ends here, or it does not end at all. The Kubiak-Griese connection, the pre-draft installation work, and the No. 1 pick all point toward a clean break from the franchise’s revolving-door quarterback history.
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