The Raiders entered training camp with Kirk Cousins atop the QB depth chart, and for anyone paying attention for the last few months, the news didn’t come as a surprise.
Since drafting Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick, every indication has been that the Raiders are going to ease him into action, and potentially keep Mendoza on the sideline until the final month of the season.
But ESPN’s Mina Kimes thinks Mendoza doesn’t believe the Raiders will be as patient as they want to be.
”I think that [Fernando Mendoza] is going to play earlier… than people expect, in part because it always happens,” Kimes said on ESPN’s NFL Live.
”Rookie quarterbacks, first rounders, especially number one picks, never sit for long.”
Additionally, Kimes highlighted a factor that will go a long way toward determining when Mendoza will ultimately take the field: the offensive line.
”The thing is we wary of is the offensive line,” Kimes continued.
”I’d want to see that this offensive line is functional and capable of protecting him before rolling him out there because last year this was one of the worst offensive lines in football.”
History has proven that a rookie quarterback behind a struggling offensive line can stunt development and create situations that don’t benefit the player in the long term.
If the Raiders are serious about Mendoza being the future of the franchise, ensuring he plays behind reasonable protection in the pocket (unlike anything the O-line offered a year ago) should absolutely be a top priority.
x: @raidersbeat
They do if they are the first pick in the draft and it’s obvious to everyone that has a clue that they’re not even close to NFL already. And they had a tendency to use their body in college like a battering ram. Something that knocks them out for at least the season if they pull that in the NFL. Mina Kimes. I thought she was smarter than that.
Last season the head coach hired his son for offensive line coach. A nepotism hire. This year the Carroll clan is counting their money somewhere over the rainbow. The Raiders have an experienced o line coach.
Noted football genius Mina Kimes chimes in