Carr sets the record straight
Derek Carr wants one thing clear as the Raiders hold the No. 1 pick: draft Fernando Mendoza.
On the “Home Grown” show with his brother, David, Carr said people keep putting words in his mouth. “They said that I said that they should not take him,” Carr said. “I said they should not take him unless they fix everything else.”
Carr did not budge on the evaluation. “For the record, he should absolutely be the first overall pick,” he said.
That fourth-down scramble sold him. “I want to see him in silver and black so bad,” Carr said. Still, he kept circling back to the same fear: a rookie quarterback taking unnecessary punishment. “I don’t want to see him get beat down,” Carr said. “Even when his lip got bloody (against Maimi in the National Championship), I was sad… Don’t touch him. I felt like my child was hurt.”
The message stays direct. Take the quarterback, then build the support system. “Everybody needs help,” Carr said, pointing to stars like Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes. “Help your young quarterbacks. Help your star quarterbacks. Help him out. And then let’s see what happens.”
Why Mendoza is worthy of No. 1
Mendoza earned the top-pick hype with both production and moments.
He led Indiana through a 16-0 national championship season and finished it with a 27-21 win over Miami at Hard Rock Stadium in January.
Indiana put the title game on his shoulders on fourth-and-4 from the 12-yard line. The Hoosiers called a quarterback draw, and Mendoza spun through contact before diving into the end zone.
“Fernando has the heart of a lion when it comes to competition,” IU coach Curt Cignetti said afterward. Mendoza pointed right back at his teammates. “I trusted my linemen, and everybody in that entire offense, that entire team had a gritty performance,” he said.
His stat line explains the NFL pull. This season, Mendoza completed 273 of 379 passes, a 72.0% clip, for 3,535 yards with 41 touchdowns and six interceptions. He added 90 carries for 276 yards and seven rushing touchdowns.
Over three seasons at Cal and Indiana, he has completed 691 of 1,008 passes for 8,247 yards with 71 touchdowns and 22 interceptions.
Why Carr’s voice carries weight
Carr lived the Raiders’ quarterback reality, and he still speaks the team’s language.
The Raiders benched him after Week 16 of the 2022 season with 2 games left. Since then, the franchise has gone 15-38 while quarterback play has shifted year to year.
History also backs his credibility in this city. Carr remains the Raiders’ all-time passing leader with 3,201 completions on 4,958 attempts for 35,222 yards and 217 touchdowns.
Carr’s final word: Draft Mendoza, then build the protection
The debate around Mendoza will run until draft night. Carr says his stance never changed.
“I want him to be the quarterback,” Carr said. “I’m setting the record straight.” Then he aimed his challenge at the Raiders’ build, not Mendoza’s talent. “I also want them to do so much around him that when he walks in there, he’s the greatest Raider of all time,” Carr said.
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