Raiders' No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza will get 'plenty of experience' in preseason debut Thursday

Patrick Mahomes was cleared to fully participate in Kansas City Chiefs training camp. Danny Parkins, Eric Mangini, and Greg Jennings discuss the expectations for the Chiefs and Mahomes this season, and if Fernando Mendoza should start for the Las Vegas Raiders week 1.

Preseason football does not always have the most exciting games to watch, but Las Vegas Raiders fans will surely be tuned in Thursday night against the Arizona Cardinals.

Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 pick of the 2026 NFL Draft and the future at quarterback for the franchise, will take his first NFL snaps in a real game.

Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak said that Mendoza will be getting "plenty of experience in the game," as he also prepares for his first time leading the Raiders on the sideline.

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Fernando Mendoza looks to pass during the Las Vegas Raiders rookie minicamp at the team's headquarters in Henderson, Nev., on May 2, 2026. (David Becker/Getty Images)

Kubiak, fresh off a Super Bowl victory with the Seattle Seahawks as their offensive coordinator, is looking to lead the Raiders back to playoff contenders in his first season. And though he named Kirk Cousins as their starting quarterback right now in training camp, Mendoza is someone he will need to develop into the franchise quarterback the organization believes he can be.

"Look forward to seeing him out there with his teammates," Kubiak said, according to Raiders.com. "Lot of guys that we need to evaluate, but he'll get plenty of reps."

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Cousins joined the team in free agency, and Kubiak always made it known that he preferred the veteran to lead the way first before Mendoza