ESPN Analyst Says Raiders Would Need Three First-Rounders to Trade Fernando Mendoza

The Las Vegas Raiders are finally building something that looks like it might actually work. After years of wandering through quarterback purgatory, the franchise drafted Fernando Mendoza, and the early returns suggest they might have finally found their guy. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently ran a thought experiment that put a jaw-dropping price tag on the young quarterback.

Barnwell went team by team across the NFL and asked a simple question: Which players are worth at least one first-round pick in a trade? For the untouchable franchise cornerstones, he went a step further and estimated how many first-rounders it would take to even start a conversation. For the Raiders, Mendoza topped the list at three first-round picks.

“I’m not sure everyone sees Mendoza as a high-end quarterback prospect, but there’s plenty to like in the 22-year-old’s profile,” Barnwell wrote. “When he signs his rookie deal, Mendoza will be five years away from even requiring a franchise tag, giving an acquiring team a chance at massive surplus value if the quarterback lives up to expectations.”

Barnwell also noted that even though the Raiders were never actually trading the first overall pick they used on Mendoza, two late first-rounders wouldn’t have been enough to get it done. That’s a strong vote of confidence for a kid who hasn’t taken a regular-season snap yet.

Maxx Crosby, Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty also made the list

Mendoza wasn’t the only Raider who caught Barnwell’s attention. Defensive end Maxx Crosby was valued at one first-round pick and then some. Tight end Brock Bowers and running back Ashton Jeanty each checked in at a first-rounder apiece. That’s four players on one roster that a national analyst believes carry that kind of trade value. Not bad for a team that’s been stuck in neutral for years.

Obviously none of this is happening. The Raiders aren’t trading Mendoza or Crosby or any of their young stars. But the exercise does serve as a useful temperature check. This franchise has stockpiled legitimate talent for the first time in what feels like forever. The roster actually has some real building blocks.

Training camp opens later this month, and it’ll be the first real look at Mendoza running the offense under a brand new coaching staff. The Raiders upgraded across the board this offseason. Now we get to see if all that paper value turns into actual wins on the field.