The first overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, quarterback Fernando Mendoza, made his NFL debut against the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night. After the game, head coach Klint Kubiak said the rookie quarterback led a “good scoring drive,” but there have been mixed reactions across the league.

“I saw a young guy who obviously needs some work, but it was just simple, right? Simple in meaning he looked like a rookie. He also looked like the first overall pick and he looked comfortable,” former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. said on ESPN’s First Take.

“I love we saw a guy that you go, ‘Oh, okay. This old school.’ Look at the moments, and go, ‘Hey, this is coachable. This is teachable. He put the ball in some spots where you love.”

Mendoza finished the night by completing 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. At first, he had two incompletions, and the Las Vegas Raiders were forced to punt. However, he settled down and later threw a six-yard touchdown pass to running back Mike Washington Jr.

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Even though the head coach appreciated Mendoza’s performance, Kubiak also made it clear that veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins would keep his job as the starter. That decision became the subject of a heated debate among the First Take crew.

“As far as I’m concerned, the trend has been when you’re the number one overall pick as a quarterback that you’re going to play. The last time we saw a number one pick at quarterback not play week one was Baker Mayfield in 2018,” ESPN analyst Chris Canty replied on the live telecast.

Canty further explained that even though “everybody has to love what they saw from Fernando Mendoza last night,” the league follows a different trend. Teams have often chosen to sit rookie quarterbacks whom they eventually want to develop into franchise players.

NFL legend Tom Brady had to sit on the bench and learn behind quarterback Drew Bledsoe during his rookie year with the New England Patriots.

Similarly, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes spent his rookie season learning behind Alex Smith in 2017, while Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts sat behind Carson Wentz in 2020.

However, none of those players were first overall picks.

“Just because he’s a first overall pick doesn’t mean he needs to play right now,” Smith added.

To which Canty asked in surprise: “First overall pick means you don’t have expectations when you come into the league?”

There have been instances in which quarterbacks selected first overall sat on the bench during their rookie seasons.

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff started only seven games in his rookie season, while Case Keenum started the rest in 2016. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, who was selected first overall in 2003, spent the entire season on the bench while Jon Kitna started under center.

The common thing among all these quarterbacks who patiently waited for their opportunity is that they eventually became franchise quarterbacks for their teams. That is the plan the Raiders appear to have in place for Mendoza.

Las Vegas has not had a franchise quarterback since Derek Carr left after the 2022 season, and Mendoza is expected to break that drought. However, the Raiders do not have to rush the rookie into the starting role if the coaching staff believes he needs more time to develop.

Although the Raiders lost 27-14 to the Cardinals, the result should not affect Mendoza’s standing in the competition too much. The rookie showed enough potential to keep the conversation alive, but he also demonstrated why the team may prefer to develop him gradually.