The Las Vegas Raiders sit at 2-14 after a lopsided loss to the New York Giants, and a hard reset could once again be needed in 2026, particularly at quarterback: the most important position. Who can the Raiders target to replace Geno Smith? Here’s the situation.
Raiders Should Target One of Fernando Mendoza, Dante Moore in 2026 NFL Draft
The Geno Smith trade aged very poorly, very quickly for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025.
That stark regression ultimately culminated in Las Vegas’ latest loss: a disastrous 34-10 loss to the three-win New York Giants.
Smith left the game with an injury, but not before he threw two interceptions to one touchdown, while taking three sacks. Smith has now thrown 19 touchdowns to 17 interceptions in 2025, and his 68.7 PFSN QB Impact score is 34th in the league, placing him between Justin Fields and Spencer Rattler.
These two things can be true at once: Smith hasn’t had a great deal of help this year. The Raiders’ offensive line and scheme have both been a borderline mess, and the team’s weapons have not been consistent, especially with Brock Bowers missing time due to injury.
That said, Smith himself is clearly not the long-term answer in his age-35 season, and the Raiders need to look to the future.
The silver lining is that the Raiders are in line for the No. 1 overall pick as the only two-win team in the league, and they can have their pick of the top QBs in the 2026 NFL Draft.
As of now, the two top passers in the class are Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Oregon’s Dante Moore. Moore isn’t guaranteed to declare, but if he does, he joins Mendoza as a blue-chip QB prospect and a potential franchise QB target.
The Geno Smith trade has aged terribly for the Raiders. After a 34-10 loss to the three-win Giants — where Smith threw two picks and took three sacks before leaving injured — the writing is on the wall.
Smith’s 2025 numbers tell the story: 19 TDs to 17 INTs and a 68.7 PFSN QB… pic.twitter.com/QqlJ8Bk6nl
— PFSN (@PFSN365) December 29, 2025
Mendoza and Moore have flipped often on my board, but right now, Mendoza holds a slight lead as my QB1, with a blue-chip evaluation grade of 90.69, while Moore trails slightly behind, still with a blue-chip grade of 90.59.
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The efficiency backs up both passers, too; Mendoza has the second-highest PFSN College QB Impact score in the nation with a figure of 93.2, while Moore comes in at a respectable 85.9.
Moore’s easy arm talent, two-phase distribution ability, and cool composure in clutch situations renders him eerily similar to CJ Stroud, while Mendoza has the intelligent and strong-armed gunslinger profile of a young, prime Carson Palmer.
Either gives the Raiders more hope than Smith at this stage, and the Raiders ultimately need to reset the clock once again. That starts at QB.
The opportunity is ripe for the Raiders to invest the necessary high-end capital at QB in the 2026 NFL Draft, but they also don’t have much recourse if they pass on a QB with the first overall pick.
Past the first two QB prospects, there’s a substantial gap in talent in the 2026 NFL Draft QB class. Ty Simpson could still declare, and if he does, he’s a potential mid-to-late Round 1 talent. However, no one else comes close to Moore and Mendoza, and there’s very little Day 2 QB talent as well.
Ever since the Raiders lost Derek Carr in 2023, the QB position has been a major issue and a major source of inconsistency. They tried to force a solution in 2025, but the most natural remedy at this point might be to integrate a young, high-level QB talent into the system.
If Moore returns to school, the pressure will mount even further for Las Vegas to seal the deal and take Mendoza with the first overall pick.
Opportunities to take blue-chip talents in the NFL Draft without any additional capital loss don’t come around often, and the Raiders can work toward righting many wrongs by capitalizing when given the chance.
