Fernando Mendoza was, quite rightly, the first pick in last year’s draft. The quarterback has a bright future, but for now, he belongs on the sidelines. A commentary.

It’s almost impossible not to like him. When you look at Fernando Mendoza like that, you can’t help but find him likable.

His story as the Indiana Hoosiers’ quarterback is as impressive as it is fascinating; the 22-year-old was rightly selected by the Las Vegas Raiders with the first overall pick in last year’s draft.

After a solid preseason debut, however, his last outing against the San Francisco 49ers was a disaster. Just a 50 percent completion rate, no touchdowns, and one interception.

But even if that performance hadn’t happened, the Raiders need to do Mendoza a favor and bench him.

The Raiders mustn’t throw Mendoza to the wolves

And that’s by no means the rookie’s fault. There are certainly teams where he could be started without hesitation. However, the Raiders are definitely not one of them.

Last season, the offensive line in Las Vegas was a revolving door. At least they’ve acquired an important piece in Tyler Linderbaum and have started to address this problem.

The emphasis, however, is on “started.”

We already saw in the preseason what happens when the rookie is under constant pressure. And the pace of play in the preseason is no comparison to the upcoming regular season. Do we really want to throw Mendoza to the wolves—the best pass rushers in the league?

In 2020, Joe Burrow’s franchise’s decisions proved to be his undoing. Behind an O-line that doesn’t deserve the name, Burrow suffered a serious injury and lost nearly half of his rookie year. That must not happen to Mendoza!

Mahomes as a role model? The Raiders have everything they need

Every general manager’s dream scenario is the one Patrick Mahomes was once placed in with the Kansas City Chiefs. As an unpolished diamond in the rough, he was placed behind Alex Smith for a year; in his second year, Mahomes got his chance and shook up the league. If it hadn’t been for none other than Tom Brady, he would have already made it to the Super Bowl there.

Of course, the Raiders don’t have a roster as strong as the 2017 Chiefs. But what they do have is Kirk Cousins—an experienced quarterback who can steer the team for a year in such a way that it shouldn’t turn into a complete disaster, allowing Mendoza to take over in year two.

Not only will the Indiana graduate then have a year of training and meetings under his belt, but the Raiders would also have another draft and another free agency period to build a team around the youngster.

The Raiders have the extraordinary luxury of having a seasoned NFL quarterback whom they can start without hesitation, without having to risk their future—in this case, Mendoza. Other teams, such as the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, or Arizona Cardinals, didn’t have that luxury with their rookie quarterbacks in the recent past.

Brady himself offers hope, having experienced firsthand just how good a first-round quarterback can be after a year on the bench.

It’s almost unthinkable that, as a shareholder in Las Vegas, he would allow the Raiders’ best chance for medium-term success to take the field too soon.