Fernando Mendoza will soon be an official part of LA Chargers fans' lives. It's all but official that the Las Vegas Raiders are drafting Mendoza with the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, bringing him to a loaded AFC West with no room for error.
Even as the No. 1 pick, Mendoza enters the AFC West as the division's worst quarterback. Bo Nix has even earned enough respect to rank ahead of Mendoza before he plays an NFL snap. That's usually not the case for a No. 1 overall pick who just carried his team to the National Championship.
There are still high hopes for Mendoza, hence why he is going first overall. In fact, there's a belief among some draft analysts that Mendoza is a better prospect than Justin Herbert was when he came into the league.
Daniel Jeremiah, who does color commentary for Chargers Radio during the season, and Todd McShay both revealed that they have higher grades for Mendoza on a recent appearance on T"he Ryen Russillo Show".
Who was the better prospect: Mendoza or Herbert? @DraftKings #DKPartner pic.twitter.com/uUCEhWrb4o
— The Ryen Russillo Show (@TheRyenRussillo) April 20, 2026
Chargers better hope the draft analysts are wrong about Fernando Mendoza
Jeremiah does clarify in the clip that he wouldn't stand on it now based on what Herbert has done in the league, but the fact remains he grades Mendoza out higher than Herbert. McShay says he grades Mendoza at a 93 while he graded Herbert at a 91.
The two draft analysts drew comparisons between the two quarterbacks and their formulaic play style. Ironically enough, even though Mendoza is receiving the edge here, both Jeremiah and McShay mentioned how Herbert is the better athlete with the better arm.
It's no secret that Herbert had a flawed draft profile coming into the league, even as the No. 6 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. There's a reason he was the third quarterback taken behind Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa. All of the intangibles were present; there were just concerns about how his game would translate to the NFL level.
That being said, he was obviously still worth of a top-10 pick in the NFL Draft and he has done more than justify the Chargers' decision to take him. If Mendoza has an even higher ceiling, well, that's bad news for the Chargers.
It's not a surprise that the No. 1 pick in the draft comes into the league with high expectations. But not every No. 1 pick ends up working out. Cam Ward is still finding his footing and isn't this massive threat to the AFC South. Bryce Young hasn't fully put it together. Trevor Lawrence has his ups and downs, Kyler Murray was just kicked to the curb by the Cardinals, and Jared Goff was literally traded away by a contending team.
Justin Herbert is better than all those quarterbacks mentioned. If Mendoza can truly reach the same level as Herbert, then he will be the best No. 1 overall pick since Andrew Luck in 2012.
Ironically enough, that's the quarterback whom Herbert has been compared to the most because of his football IQ, his athleticism, and his ability to pick apart a defense. Mendoza joining that conversation is nothing short of bad news for LA.
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