{"id":129076,"date":"2026-04-23T20:21:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T00:21:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/fernando-mendoza-the-no-1-pick-of-nfl-draft-to-the-raiders-tasked-with-returning-a-legacy-franchise-to-glory-129076"},"modified":"2026-04-23T20:21:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T00:21:07","slug":"fernando-mendoza-the-no-1-pick-of-nfl-draft-to-the-raiders-tasked-with-returning-a-legacy-franchise-to-glory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/fernando-mendoza-the-no-1-pick-of-nfl-draft-to-the-raiders-tasked-with-returning-a-legacy-franchise-to-glory-129076","title":{"rendered":"Fernando Mendoza, the No 1 pick of NFL Draft to the Raiders, tasked with returning a legacy franchise to glory"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The block around Fernando Mendoza\u2019s home in Coral Gables, Florida<\/a> was roped off by early afternoon on Thursday and the roast pig \u2013 a lechon asado<\/em> to Cubans like the Mendozas \u2013 was in the Caja China<\/em> all day.<\/p>\n

No, Mendoza didn\u2019t make it to Pittsburgh for<\/a> the 2026 NFL draft. But his family’s draft party in South Florida was, by all accounts, epic.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s the way it should be because it was befitting of Mendoza being selected by the Las Vegas Raiders as the first overall pick of the draft.<\/p>\n

“The last five month have been such a blessing by God, I can’t thank him enough,” Mendoza said in his first interview after being selected. “I’m just looking forward to get to work, improve at the next level. College was fantastic. I’m so bless to have that career.<\/p>\n

“But now I step into a great game, the NFL, look forward to proving and earning it every single day.”<\/p>\n

TYLER LINDERBAUM’S $81M RECORD-BREAKING DEAL HEADLINES RAIDERS’ FREE AGENT SPENDING SPREE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Not bad for a kid who used to occasionally confess to family, friends and teammates, “I don’t imagine myself a high draft pick.”<\/p>\n

That all changed when Mendoza transferred to Indiana University<\/a> before the 2025 season, and out of that unlikely college football power came the improbable Heisman Trophy winner, national championship winning quarterback, and first pick in the draft.<\/p>\n

The Raiders used only a minute or two of the eight allotted before turning in their card to the NFL for Mendoza.<\/p>\n

Only in America.<\/p>\n

JETS TO REUNITE WITH GENO SMITH AFTER RAIDERS GAIN DRAFT PICK IN TRADE: REPORTS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The Raiders believe in Mendoza. But the Raiders organization is rife with quarterback misfires<\/a> in its recent history.<\/p>\n

The club signed Geno Smith to make them a contender last season under coach Pete Carroll. Smith led the NFL with 17 interceptions, Carroll was fired, and the team was so bad as to “earn” the first pick in this draft.<\/p>\n

TRADES COULD SAVE NFL DRAFT LACKING FRANCHISE QBS, POLARIZING PLAYERS FROM BEING A YAWNER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Before that, Gardner Minshew<\/a> failed as a bridge quarterback and Aidan O\u2019Connell didn\u2019t quite develop into a dependable starter.<\/p>\n

Before that, Jimmy Garoppolo<\/a> signed as a free agent but was often injured and inconsistent when healthy. He started only six games in 2023 and was released the following offseason.<\/p>\n

Before that, it was Derek Carr, mostly functional during his time, getting benched in 2022 and ultimately released.<\/p>\n

You get the point. It’s been awhile since Ken Stabler, Jim Plunkett or even Rich Gannon won a Super Bowl for the franchise.<\/p>\n

Mendoza is expected to turn that sad narrative around. But it won\u2019t necessarily be right away. The Raiders signed veteran Kirk Cousins<\/a> earlier this offseason as a bridge starter while Mendoza learns and develops.<\/p>\n

The rookie will have some time. But not forever.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s been drafted to lift a legacy franchise<\/a> back to glory. But that won’t be an easy assignment because other franchises will get a vote whether it happens.<\/p>\n

PROJECTED TOP PICK FERNANDO MENDOZA MAKES BIG NFL DRAFT DECISION: REPORT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Mendoza goes to the AFC West<\/a> where it is impossible to win without outstanding quarterback play.<\/p>\n

The Kansas City Chiefs have owned the division since Patrick Mahomes became their starting quarterback in 2018. They won it seven consecutive times until falling back last season.<\/p>\n

The Denver Broncos<\/a> won the division last season because they have one of the NFL\u2019s rising quarterbacks in Bo Nix, who came close to a 4,000-yard season in 2025.<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Chargers made the playoffs a season ago and Justin Herbert typically is among the league leaders in passing yards (9th last year) and touchdown passes (tied for seventh).<\/p>\n

Now the Raiders answer with Fernando Mendoza \u2013 officially the No. 1 pick in the 2026<\/a> draft.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source – https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/sports\/fernando-mendoza-1-pick-nfl-draft-raiders-tasked-returning-legacy-franchise-glory <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The block around Fernando Mendoza\u2019s home in Coral Gables, Florida was roped off by early afternoon on Thursday and the roast pig \u2013 a lechon […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_2902945987_2902945987":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[16563],"tags":[],"stock_ticker":[],"class_list":["post-129076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-market-news","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFernando Mendoza, the No 1 pick of NFL Draft to the Raiders, tasked with returning a legacy franchise to glory - Wall Street PR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/fernando-mendoza-the-no-1-pick-of-nfl-draft-to-the-raiders-tasked-with-returning-a-legacy-franchise-to-glory-129076\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fernando Mendoza, the No 1 pick of NFL Draft to the Raiders, tasked with returning a legacy franchise to glory - Wall Street PR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The block around Fernando Mendoza\u2019s home in Coral Gables, Florida was roped off by early afternoon on Thursday and the roast pig \u2013 a lechon […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/fernando-mendoza-the-no-1-pick-of-nfl-draft-to-the-raiders-tasked-with-returning-a-legacy-franchise-to-glory-129076\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Wall Street PR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-24T00:21:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/businessman-showing-business-evolution1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"715\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"423\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/fernando-mendoza-the-no-1-pick-of-nfl-draft-to-the-raiders-tasked-with-returning-a-legacy-franchise-to-glory-129076#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/fernando-mendoza-the-no-1-pick-of-nfl-draft-to-the-raiders-tasked-with-returning-a-legacy-franchise-to-glory-129076\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36\"},\"headline\":\"Fernando Mendoza, the No 1 pick of NFL Draft to the Raiders, tasked with returning a legacy franchise to glory\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-24T00:21:07+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/fernando-mendoza-the-no-1-pick-of-nfl-draft-to-the-raiders-tasked-with-returning-a-legacy-franchise-to-glory-129076\"},\"wordCount\":660,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Market News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/fernando-mendoza-the-no-1-pick-of-nfl-draft-to-the-raiders-tasked-with-returning-a-legacy-franchise-to-glory-129076\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/fernando-mendoza-the-no-1-pick-of-nfl-draft-to-the-raiders-tasked-with-returning-a-legacy-franchise-to-glory-129076\",\"name\":\"Fernando Mendoza, the No 1 pick of NFL Draft to the Raiders, tasked with returning a legacy franchise to glory - Wall Street PR\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-24T00:21:07+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/fernando-mendoza-the-no-1-pick-of-nfl-draft-to-the-raiders-tasked-with-returning-a-legacy-franchise-to-glory-129076#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/fernando-mendoza-the-no-1-pick-of-nfl-draft-to-the-raiders-tasked-with-returning-a-legacy-franchise-to-glory-129076\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/fernando-mendoza-the-no-1-pick-of-nfl-draft-to-the-raiders-tasked-with-returning-a-legacy-franchise-to-glory-129076#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Fernando Mendoza, the No 1 pick of NFL Draft to the Raiders, tasked with returning a legacy franchise to glory\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\",\"name\":\"Wall Street PR\",\"description\":\"Latest News From WallStreet\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Wall Street PR\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png\",\"width\":537,\"height\":70,\"caption\":\"Wall Street PR\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/WallstreetPRs\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/author\/admin\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Fernando Mendoza, the No 1 pick of NFL Draft to the Raiders, tasked with returning a legacy franchise to glory - Wall Street PR","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/fernando-mendoza-the-no-1-pick-of-nfl-draft-to-the-raiders-tasked-with-returning-a-legacy-franchise-to-glory-129076","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Fernando Mendoza, the No 1 pick of NFL Draft to the Raiders, tasked with returning a legacy franchise to glory - Wall Street PR","og_description":"The block around Fernando Mendoza\u2019s home in Coral Gables, Florida was roped off by early afternoon on Thursday and the roast pig \u2013 a lechon […]","og_url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/fernando-mendoza-the-no-1-pick-of-nfl-draft-to-the-raiders-tasked-with-returning-a-legacy-franchise-to-glory-129076","og_site_name":"Wall Street PR","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/","article_published_time":"2026-04-24T00:21:07+00:00","og_image":[{"width":715,"height":423,"url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/businessman-showing-business-evolution1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/fernando-mendoza-the-no-1-pick-of-nfl-draft-to-the-raiders-tasked-with-returning-a-legacy-franchise-to-glory-129076#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/fernando-mendoza-the-no-1-pick-of-nfl-draft-to-the-raiders-tasked-with-returning-a-legacy-franchise-to-glory-129076"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36"},"headline":"Fernando Mendoza, the No 1 pick of NFL Draft to the Raiders, tasked with returning a legacy franchise to glory","datePublished":"2026-04-24T00:21:07+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/fernando-mendoza-the-no-1-pick-of-nfl-draft-to-the-raiders-tasked-with-returning-a-legacy-franchise-to-glory-129076"},"wordCount":660,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Market News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/fernando-mendoza-the-no-1-pick-of-nfl-draft-to-the-raiders-tasked-with-returning-a-legacy-franchise-to-glory-129076","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/fernando-mendoza-the-no-1-pick-of-nfl-draft-to-the-raiders-tasked-with-returning-a-legacy-franchise-to-glory-129076","name":"Fernando Mendoza, the No 1 pick of NFL Draft to the Raiders, tasked with returning a legacy franchise to glory - Wall Street PR","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-04-24T00:21:07+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/fernando-mendoza-the-no-1-pick-of-nfl-draft-to-the-raiders-tasked-with-returning-a-legacy-franchise-to-glory-129076#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/fernando-mendoza-the-no-1-pick-of-nfl-draft-to-the-raiders-tasked-with-returning-a-legacy-franchise-to-glory-129076"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/fernando-mendoza-the-no-1-pick-of-nfl-draft-to-the-raiders-tasked-with-returning-a-legacy-franchise-to-glory-129076#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Fernando Mendoza, the No 1 pick of NFL Draft to the Raiders, tasked with returning a legacy franchise to glory"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/","name":"Wall Street PR","description":"Latest News From WallStreet","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization","name":"Wall Street PR","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png","width":537,"height":70,"caption":"Wall Street PR"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/","https:\/\/x.com\/WallstreetPRs"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg","caption":"admin"},"url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/author\/admin"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=129076"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129076\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=129076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=129076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=129076"},{"taxonomy":"stock_ticker","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stock_ticker?post=129076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}