The Raiders have owned the first pick in the draft for fewer than 24 hours, but Todd McShay has already submitted his first mock draft of the year.
Last year, McShay congratulated Raiders GM John Spytek for fooling the scouting community into thinking he was taking Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. and this year McShay kicked off mock draft season by sending a mild surprise at quarterback to Las Vegas.
“It seems obvious the Raiders are going with a QB here. The only question is whether it will be Fernando Mendoza or Dante Moore,” McShay said in his Mock 1.0 released on Monday.
“If the Raiders brass is looking for the most NFL-ready guy who can help win games right now, it will be Mendoza. But if Tom Brady and people in that organization have patience, the correct infrastructure in place, and play the long game, I think Moore has the greater upside as an NFL QB,” McShay continued.
“I thought it was important in this Mock 1.0 to note that if Moore is part of this class (which we likely won’t know until after the national championship), there’s going to be a legit competition between these two guys for the no. 1 pick. Expect Mendoza vs. Moore to be the great debate of draft season.”
The Raiders have almost four months to figure out which quarterback they prefer, and Moore still hasn’t announced his decision on the draft – although some believe he is leaning toward entering the draft.
As for Mendoza, the presumption for a while has been that he will enter the draft, and his decision was essentially confirmed on Sunday when it was reported that former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover will be transferring to Indiana.
Looking at the remainder of McShay’s draft, it’s worth noting how quickly the draft falls off after the quarterbacks. There are impact players available in this year’s draft, but there doesn’t appear to an obvious can’t-miss pass rusher or an elite offensive lineman.
McShay called Notre Dame running back Jeremiah Love “arguably the best talent in the draft” and he plays a position that won’t be in consideration for the Raiders at any point in the first two days of the draft.
Appearing on the Rich Eisen Show last month, McShay said he doesn’t believe 2026 is a great year to have a top 10 pick – unless you have the first pick.
“I hate to say this as we get ready to embark on the 2026 draft process, it’s not a great top 10 in terms of what we’re used to,” McShay told Eisen.
He was talking about the Giants owning the top pick in the draft at the time, but it was clear how much value he placed on the no. 1 pick in this year’s draft.
“With the elite offensive tackles and pass rushers. There’s a lot of good ones… [but] it’s a different class in that the positions of value are not the best players this year. So I’m looking at that number one overall pick and I think I have it right. It is the Giants right now… I would love to have that first pick because if it’s only Mendoza or even if it’s Mendoza and let’s say more, but not Simpson, teams are going to be clamoring to go up and get that pick ahead of the Raiders.”
If Moore declares for the draft, the no. 2 pick will have significant value, but with the no. 1 pick, Tom Brady and the Raiders can take the quarterback they want in 2026 with no fear of having to make a decision on their no. 2 quarterback in the draft.
x: @raidersbeat