John Spytek played it cool for so, so long. But everyone in the football world knew that the Las Vegas Raider were taking Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick, no matter what he and Klint Kubiak told reporters, and no matter how many veteran quarterbacks they signed.
In the words of Sonny Weaver Jr.: Fernando Mendoza. No matter what.
It wasn't until Thursday evening, however, that Spytek and the Raiders could make that official. And even though it took them a few minutes to turn in the first card of the 2026 NFL Draft, nobody in the fanbase should have been sweating it. It was always Mendoza. Always, always, always.
And with that pick official, Spytek finally got to talk about his prized quarterback. He joined Raiders.com's Paul Gutierrez immediately after the selection came across our TV screens, and it seemed like Spytek had been holding in these comments for quite some time.
Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek is now talking all things Fernando Mendoza
First, Las Vegas' second-year general manager talked about the process that led them to Mendoza. While it may seem fairly straightforward to Raider Nation, those in the building weren't going to mortgage their future on a player they hadn't done every bit of due diligence on.
"We had a great process. We promised ourselves, the ownership group, the fans, that we would do this the right way. And we did not begin with the end in mind," Spytek explained. "But every step of the way, he kept checking boxes. I saw him three times in person: Once in the fall, the playoff games. (He) played really well in all those games. (I had a) chance to visit with him at the combine. Went to Bloomington to see his Pro Day, spent time with him, went to dinner with him, and then brought him here to Las Vegas and had a great day here with him too. And (he) just kept checking boxes along the way. He made it pretty easy for us along the way to realize that this is the right guy at the right time for the Raiders."
Spytek then talked about when he and the front office became convicted on the Mendoza selection. Well, kind of.
"There was no mystery, in terms of -- we controlled our own destiny today. When we were convicted with this -- maybe a couple days ago, maybe a couple weeks ago. Nobody will ever know. -- This was a fun day to know exactly where we were going to end up, because the decision had been made."
Gutierrez then asked Spytek what fans should expect of Mendoza when he gets in the building. And while he hyped up the young quarterback, Spytek wouldn't make any promises or put any lofty expectations on him.
"They should expect the same guy that we've seen along the way the whole time. He's a hard-working, driven, extremely smart young man. He's been a great teammate, I think we've all seen that he embraces his teammates, that he tries to highlight his teammates. He's extremely tough, he's highly competitive, and he's a guy that loves football. He doesn't just love bits and pieces of it; he loves the entirety of it. And he proved that to us over the course of the last three to four months. And so I would expect them to see a guy that comes out and is willing to give his best to Raider Nation. He's going to compete his tail off."
That must have felt great to get off his chest. Spytek, finally freed from the shackles of secrecy and protecting the Raiders' best interest, can just gloat about the young quarterback that he brought into the building.