Ryan McFadden Apr 23, 2026, 08:14 PM ET Close Ryan McFadden covers the Las Vegas Raiders for ESPN's NFL Nation. Prior to ESPN, McFadden was a Denver Broncos beat reporter for the Denver Post. McFadden also wrote about the Baltimore Ravens and University of Maryland athletics for The Baltimore Sun. HENDERSON, Nev. -- The predestined pairing of Fernando Mendoza and the Las Vegas Raiders became a reality Thursday night when the former Indiana quarterback was selected with the No. 1 pick of the 2026 NFL draft . Mendoza is the first signal-caller drafted by the Raiders on Day 1 since JaMarcus Russell in 2007. He's the new face of the franchise and is expected to lead the organization toward its goal of sustained success. The Raiders have swung and missed at the quarterback position just as much as they have with head coaches in recent years -- new coach Klint Kubiak was hired in February as the Raiders' fifth head coach since 2021.…