Raiders think big picture at NFL combine while Fernando Mendoza pick appears all but certain

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Fernando Mendoza is the Raiders' pick, but Las Vegas is thinking big picture at the NFL Combine.

The Raiders are expected to select Mendoza with the first-overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, but general manager John Spytek and head coach Klint Kubiak aren't tipping their hand at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

Alex Eschelman reports the latest on the Raiders' NFL Draft prospects:

The Raiders hold at least eight picks across three days of the draft, and the team is evaluating rookies at every position group — not just quarterback.

Teams are allotted 18-minute interviews with up to 45 draft prospects at the combine, and Kubiak said the conversations are about more than talent.

"I always look at — is this a person I can coach?" Kubiak said. "When you're talking to them in the interview, when you're looking at tape, do they have all the answers for you, or are they coachable?"

Beyond the draft, Vegas is also working to identify a veteran quarterback to help develop Mendoza.

"To think that you're just going to take a young quarterback anywhere starting him week one and you want it to go great is naive," Spytek said. "You're not doing that kid any favors at all. Probably more organizations fail those kids than those kids fail the organizations."

Raiders quarterback Geno Smith is considered a likely candidate for that veteran role, with his contract running through the 2027 season.

"Looking at all options right now, watching Geno play last year, obviously knowing what he's done before, we're putting it all on the table right now," Kubiak said.

One thing that does not appear to be on the table is a trade involving defensive end Maxx Crosby.

"Maxx and I have a great relationship. Right now, he's in the building every day getting healthy. We talk on the phone; we text," Spytek said.

"It's a guy that we really want on our team — as simple as that," Kubiak said.

As for how the combine itself will shape Las Vegas' draft strategy, Spytek said a poor interview could give the team pause on a prospect, but the overall board is unlikely to shift dramatically.

"If we have a bad experience with a player in an interview that might make us think, but I don't think we're going to change the board coming out of this," Spytek said. "It's a big part of the process, but it's just a part of the process, and really our only goal is to get the board right by late April."

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