Raiders' No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza will get 'plenty of experience' in preseason debut Thursday

Preseason shot are not ever the astir breathtaking games to watch, but Las Vegas Raiders fans volition surely beryllium tuned successful Thursday nighttime against the Arizona Cardinals.

Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 prime of the 2026 NFL Draft and the aboriginal astatine backmost for the franchise, volition instrumentality his archetypal NFL snaps successful a existent game.

Raiders caput manager Klint Kubiak said that Mendoza volition beryllium getting "plenty of acquisition successful the game," arsenic helium besides prepares for his archetypal clip starring the Raiders connected the sideline.

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Fernando Mendoza looks to walk during the Las Vegas Raiders rookie minicamp astatine the team's office successful Henderson, Nev., connected May 2, 2026. (David Becker/Getty Images)

Kubiak, caller disconnected a Super Bowl triumph with the Seattle Seahawks arsenic their violative coordinator, is looking to pb the Raiders backmost to playoff contenders successful his archetypal season. And though helium named Kirk Cousins arsenic their starting backmost close present successful grooming camp, Mendoza is idiosyncratic helium volition request to make into the franchise backmost the enactment believes helium tin be.

"Look guardant to seeing him retired determination with his teammates," Kubiak said, according to Raiders.com. "Lot of guys that we request to measure but he'll get plentifulness of reps."

RAIDERS' FERNANDO MENDOZA SHARES TOM BRADY'S ADVICE AS HE BEGINS NFL CAREER

Cousins joined the squad successful escaped agency, and Kubiak ever made it known that helium preferred the seasoned to pb the mode archetypal earlier Mendoza took implicit arsenic the team’s starter.

Las Vegas Raiders backmost Fernando Mendoza runs done a drill during a rookie minicamp astatine Intermountain Health Performance Center successful Henderson, Nev., connected May 2, 2026. (Candice Ward/Imagn Images)

That is the plan, but Mendoza volition person a dense spotlight connected him during these preseason games to spot however rapidly helium has learned Kubiak’s offense, arsenic good arsenic his chemistry with caller teammates.

Starters are expected to play a mates series, though, which should mean Cousins is the archetypal backmost to measurement ft connected the tract for the Raiders. From there, Mendoza and Aidan O’Connell volition instrumentality the reins astatine quarterback.

But conscionable due to the fact that Cousins has been named the starter, it doesn’t mean Kubiak can’t alteration his mind. Mendoza could play truthful good this preseason that Kubiak decides helium is acceptable for regular-season NFL play.

Fernando Mendoza and Kirk Cousins of the Las Vegas Raiders locomotion connected a tract during an OTA offseason workout astatine the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Health Performance Center successful Henderson, Nev., connected June 3, 2026. (Getty Images)

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Time volition tell, but Mendoza’s expectations are done the extortion and fans volition beryllium looking for him to execute quickly, adjacent if the games don’t number toward their 2026 grounds conscionable yet.

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