Raiderstation

Call your shot....or add your own.

Dante Moore:

https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Dante-Moore-QB-UCLA

Fernando Mendoza:

https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Fer ... California

May the football godz look kindly down upon the feeble and inept.

mstrbass2000 wrote: Thu Apr 09, 2026 2:23 pm

This image is AI, but it could still be based on a real photo of them at dinner.

My best guess is that someone got a very low resolution/low lighting image from across the room and then fed it into an AI model to upscale and clean it up.

Or it could be complete fiction

Arsenal Raider wrote: Fri Apr 10, 2026 11:36 am This image is AI, but it could still be based on a real photo of them at dinner.

My best guess is that someone got a very low resolution/low lighting image from across the room and then fed it into an AI model to upscale and clean it up.

Or it could be complete fiction

It's akin to the bigfoot photoes. You create plausible doubt by making it just grainy enough to obscure reality. That is intentional and the AI platforms like Leonardo Ai can pull that off in minutes generating multiple images for you to pick from.

Interesting read on our future QB:
https://www.esquire.com/sports/a7086970 ... view-2026/

Raiders general manager John Spytek said, “the best guy will play” when asked about starting a rookie quarterback immediately.

It’s no secret the Raiders are more than likely going to select Indiana’ Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. However, the question has been lingering on whether the Raiders will start Mendoza out of the gate or let him sit for a bit first. Las Vegas signed Kirk Cousins as a veteran presence in the locker room and still have Aidan O’Connell as quarterback depth. Spytek implied that a competition between Cousins, O’Connell, and Mendoza could shake out the Week 1 starter. Mendoza would be the franchise quarterback, but there is a good chance Cousins (or even O’Connell) start in the interim while the rookie gets better prepared for the long-term.

This is the best news I've seen. Bc that means Mendoza should start out of the gate since he will undoubtedly be the "best guy". And no, O'Brady won't be here.

Context
https://apple.news/A9bZRzlR4R12H8ognjvdm_g

““Well, if you’re picking first, you’re usually not a very good team,” Raiders owner Mark Davis told USA TODAY Sports. “So, you’ve got a lot of holes to fill.”
As he chatted recently in the lobby of the swank hotel where NFL owners met, Davis stayed with the script and didn’t confirm Mendoza will be the Raiders pick. Yet he clearly sounded like a man with a vision that fits.
“If you bring a guy in and you’re putting him behind a ‘not A+’ offensive line, then you’re risking his ability mentally, because he can get the crap beat out of him,” Davis said. “Or physically, because he’s going to get the crap beat out of him.”
So, holistic approach or bust?
“Yeah, you want a franchise quarterback, but you’ve got to get the other pieces, too,” Davis added. “So, John (Spytek) and Klint (Kubiak) both expressed the fact that they’re not afraid to have the guy sit for a while behind a veteran, if in fact that’s the case. Just to get his feet wet. Get his mind right. Learn the speed of the game. You know, all of that.”

https://apple.news/Aen_aTXVBRTuvwbDKIEV_rQ

They may red shirt him until he bridges the gap of knowledge and the team bridges the gap of "lack of talent" with another draft and f/a period.

KillerRaider30 wrote: Wed Apr 15, 2026 6:30 pm They may red shirt him until he bridges the gap of knowledge and the team bridges the gap of "lack of talent" with another draft and f/a period.

Respectfully disagree.
If he is comfortable under center and reads by the end of the preseason, I think he starts week one.
Regardless of the timeline, when Kub and the coaching thinks he is ready, he will start.
I believe it will be by week 3-4.

i still think fernando beats out kirk and starts the season

nitroraider wrote: Wed Apr 15, 2026 6:42 pm Respectfully disagree.
If he is comfortable under center and reads by the end of the preseason, I think he starts week one.
Regardless of the timeline, when Kub and the coaching thinks he is ready, he will start.
I believe it will be by week 3-4.

Seems like a reasonable estimate. I mean if Kirk starts, it’s probably his job as long as we’re winning. Gotta think there’s immense pressure to play Mendoza regardless. He’s gonna sell a ton of tickets and get a ton of media coverage.

I don’t see a reality where we start 0-3 and continue sending cousins out there.

raiders93 wrote: Wed Apr 15, 2026 7:12 pm Seems like a reasonable estimate. I mean if Kirk starts, it’s probably his job as long as we’re winning. Gotta think there’s immense pressure to play Mendoza regardless. He’s gonna sell a ton of tickets and get a ton of media coverage.

I don’t see a reality where we start 0-3 and continue sending cousins out there.

Even at 0-2, Mendoza gets the week 3 start unless we're losing games 45-42.

I think Cousins will start Week 1 mainly because the top 3 in the organization have all said they want Mendoza to sit for a bit. We'll see in preseason if Mendoza gets any playing time with the starters.

RickRyb wrote: Wed Apr 15, 2026 10:35 pm I think Cousins will start Week 1 mainly because the top 3 in the organization have all said they want Mendoza to sit for a bit. We'll see in preseason if Mendoza gets any playing time with the starters.

That was not said once. They haven't even said they were drafting Mendoza. In fact, Spytek just said the best guy will play.

Ty Simpson will sit behind Cousins for a whole season. Mendoza will probably start for the Jets