Draft night QB buzz
- Late draft buzz says the Las Vegas Raiders are expected to select quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick tonight. - Analysts expect a trade-heavy first round, with mocks projecting as many as four trades early on. - Coverage emphasizes quarterback intrigue at the top and potential moves involving teams like the Eagles and Saints ( ).
The 2026 National Football League draft opens Thursday night with the Las Vegas Raiders widely projected to take Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza at No. 1 overall. (nfl.com) Round 1 starts at 8 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, April 23, and the three-day draft runs through April 25 in Pittsburgh, the league’s first draft host city in 1948. (nfl.com, nfl.com) The Raiders locked up the top pick in January after finishing 3-14 in 2025, giving the franchise its first No. 1 selection since 2007. (nfl.com, nfl.com) Mendoza has sat at No. 1 in Daniel Jeremiah’s mocks from the start, and NFL.com’s prospect page lists him as the top-ranked quarterback in the 2026 combine class with a 6.73 grade. (nfl.com, nfl.com) His rise accelerated after he led Indiana to its first college football national title, then entered the draft in January as a redshirt junior from Miami. (nfl.com, nfl.com) The quarterback story does not appear to stop at Pick 1. Chad Reuter’s five-round mock sent two quarterbacks into the first 16 picks, and Rhett Lewis projected the Philadelphia Eagles making a Round 1 move for a quarterback at No. 23. (nfl.com, nfl.com) Trade talk is driving much of the suspense. Jeremiah’s final mock projected four first-round trades, while an NFL.com trade primer published April 16 said deals are expected on opening night and outlined possible moves involving teams such as the New Orleans Saints. (nfl.com, nfl.com) Teams already have a history of moving picks in this class: NFL.com reported three weeks ago that six first-round selections had already changed hands before draft night. (nfl.com) If the buzz holds, the night opens with a quarterback. After that, the first round looks set to turn on how aggressively teams chase the next passer or the next trade-up slot. (nfl.com, nfl.com)
