transcript

Speaker 1:
[00:02] It's the Locked On Podcast Network, Your Team Everyday.

Speaker 2:
[00:10] Hey everyone, this is Ross Jackson, one of the hosts of the Locked On Podcast Network. Thank you for being here, because your support means everything. And if you're looking for another way to support the show that you love, while getting something awesome in return, check out the Everydayer Club. You get ad free episodes of your favorite Locked On show, access to a members-only group chat for fans of your team, and you can even jump into the national chats and talk about whatever's happening across the league. Tap the Everydayer Club link in the show notes to learn more.

Speaker 3:
[00:41] No more speculation. The pick is in and the Raiders have their guy. That puts more on Friday's edition of the Locked On Raiders podcast for April 24th, 2026.

Speaker 4:
[00:50] You are Locked On Raiders, your daily Las Vegas Raiders podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.

Speaker 3:
[01:00] And welcome in Raider Nation to another edition of the Locked On Raiders podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your number one sports podcast network. You know, we're very proud of that. We're also very proud of the fact that this show continues to grow each and every day. And that's because of your support and the great job that my man Ari does behind the scenes, making sure we look good and sound good each and every day by way of the YouTube page. We shout him out. We appreciate him. He's on Twitter at Ari produces. You could hit me up as well at your boy Q two five four. If you want to be a part of the show, we got the Locked On Raider Podcast voicemail line for you. 707-654-4693. As we normally do, we'll close out the show and close out the week hearing from you. Calls, texts, a lot of great feedback. We'll do that coming up in segment number three. Segment number two, we'll talk about day two, rounds two and rounds three. And I'll just go ahead and start off and say, lots of talent for the Silver and Black to choose from, especially in round two when they're scheduled to pick at number 36 overall, which is the fourth pick in round number two. We'll get into all that coming up in segment number two today's Locked On Raiders Podcast here in segment number one, News and Notes of the Day. And it's all about Fernando, Fernando Mendoza, Raiders quarterback. We'll jump into that after I tell you about the title sponsor of the show and that's FanDuel. Right now, new customers could bet just $5 and get $250 in bonus bets if your first bet wins. Head to fanduel.com to get started today. So after months of us talking about it, a lot of speculation, 99.9% sure that the Raiders are gonna select Fernando Mendoza. They have the opportunity to go get their Franchise quarterback. Instead of talking about it, on Thursday, the Raiders decided to be about it.

Speaker 5:
[02:34] Hello, Fernando.

Speaker 6:
[02:38] How you doing?

Speaker 5:
[02:39] John Spajciak, how you doing?

Speaker 7:
[02:40] I appreciate you calling.

Speaker 5:
[02:42] We're gonna be thrilled to make you the first pick in the draft here and welcome you to the dark side. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. I know you'll do it and, you know, this is an acknowledgement of what a great college player you've been, but a bigger statement on the belief that we have in you that you're the right guy to lead this franchise going forward. And, you know, every step of the way you've been, you've been exactly what we're looking for and what this franchise needs. And we are so excited to welcome you to Las Vegas and can't wait to get you out here tomorrow, but enjoy the party, the celebration with your family tonight. You certainly earned it and we'll see you real soon, but there's a lot of hard work. There's going to be tough times and challenging times ahead, but we know you're up for it and you're going to be awesome here.

Speaker 3:
[03:25] Thank you. Can't wait to get to work.

Speaker 5:
[03:26] All right, man. I'm going to pass you over to Coach Kubiak, but again, enjoy the night. Congratulations. We're super proud of you and big things to come. Okay. We need your best.

Speaker 7:
[03:35] Sure.

Speaker 3:
[03:36] Love it.

Speaker 7:
[03:38] Hey, Fernando. What's up, man?

Speaker 5:
[03:39] Coach Kubiak here. How you doing, Coach?

Speaker 7:
[03:41] I'm doing well.

Speaker 5:
[03:42] Hey, congratulations. I'm really excited for you, okay?

Speaker 7:
[03:46] Now, it's going to be a lot of people telling you a lot of great things tonight, and you earned all those things. But just remember, man, when you get here, be humble and be ready to go to work.

Speaker 5:
[03:54] All right, you got to go earn a job like everybody else.

Speaker 6:
[03:56] All right?

Speaker 5:
[03:57] Yeah, I get to work. I can't wait to learn. You earned this, man. You deserve this.

Speaker 6:
[04:01] All right.

Speaker 5:
[04:02] Now, just come here and be yourself. Sound good?

Speaker 3:
[04:04] Will do.

Speaker 7:
[04:05] Thank you for that again. All right, congrats. You got it, man.

Speaker 3:
[04:09] Thank you again.

Speaker 6:
[04:16] With the first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders select Fernando Mendoza.

Speaker 3:
[04:30] There was the call right there. GM John Spytek, you heard head coach Clint Kubiak as well, getting on the phone, making the call to Fernando Mendoza to make it official like a referee's whistle. He is the quarterback. He is the franchise QB for the silver and black. After months and months of speculation, we've been talking about Fernando Mendoza since about week 15 of the 2025 season, and now he is the guy. He'll be arriving in Las Vegas a little bit later on this afternoon. As a matter of fact, his press conference, I believe, is scheduled for about 1 o'clock. GM John Spyteck and head coach Clint Kubiak will speak with the media as well. I'm still here in Pittsburgh, so I won't be available for that, but we'll be headed back to Las Vegas coming up on Saturday morning. But whatever the case may be, we know in fact that Fernando is the guy. And with the selection of Fernando Mendoza number one overall by the silver and black, this is a little nugget that Adam Schefter put out there. The Raider selected Fernando Mendoza number one, puts him alongside Joe Burrow, Jameis Winston and Cam Newton as the only QB since 1967 to win the Heisman Trophy, a national title and go number one overall in the NFL Draft. So just wanted to pass that along and look, I mean, I've been talking to a lot of people since I've been here in Pittsburgh. I've been on a lot of different radio shows, a lot of different podcasts, just speaking with the media at the draft on Thursday. And man, I mean, everyone, the foregone conclusion is that Fernando Mendoza is going to be that guy with everything that he's got between the ears, with his work ethic, with the way that he wants to be a sponge and learn. I mean, this is such a great opportunity for the silver and black. And look, when you take a quarterback number one overall, like you could take a quarterback in round two, you could take one in round three. I mean, DC came out of round two, right? And everyone still felt pretty good, like, hey man, that's going to be a good quarterback. But when you take one number one overall, or in the top three, whatever the case may be in round number one, it just feels different. It gives you a lot of hope. That's exactly what the Raiders have had. And then they've had it with this whole off season. There's been hope the way that everything has rolled out, the way that the plan has been put in place. And you've seen ever since the off season really got going that there was an attention to detail with what they were trying to do and they're trying to accomplish. And it all was going to come to a head with the drafting of Fernando Mendoza and everything that we talked about for the last few months about how much the Raiders can make sure that they put themselves in position to be able to compliment him. They absolutely did just that. And now it's all up to Fernando Mendoza to get to work and make himself available and the Raiders will decide when that'll be when he's actually able to get out there on the grass. But I mean, getting them in the building, you heard what John Spytek said, hey, you've earned this, enjoy the night and then get ready to get to work. And Clint Kubiak, I say it all the time, he's about ball. He's about ball. Like, hey, stay humble, stay hungry. Let's get to work. We got on a Zoom call with Fernando Mendoza following him being selected. It was probably maybe 30 minutes after he was selected and got to talk to him for about 15 minutes. And there was nothing earth shattering. So I'm not going to bring it to the show or anything, but you could just tell that he was excited. You know, he knew that there, that he was going to end up in Las Vegas, but at the same time, until it was official, couldn't, you know, it can't, couldn't guarantee anything. Cause you never know how things play out, but you know, the Raiders, they, they picked number one overall. They didn't trade back into the back end of round number one. There was a little bit of conversation about that. John Spitek was asked about that, you know, following round one, he said that there was some conversations about trading back into the back end of round one, but nothing came to fruition, obviously. So they're scheduled right now to pick fourth in round number two. That's pick 36. And there's a lot of really good players. We'll talk about them coming up in segment number two, who I have my eye on for the Raiders, especially at that number 36 overall, but just really excited, really excited for Raider Nation. I mentioned it, that I was going to get calls and texts and tweets that, you know, now it's official, we got our guy. And this is exactly what I was getting. Shout out to my guy, Vegas. Jesse hit me immediately. Q, we did it. We got our guy, right? And he wasn't the only one. Multiple people hit me up with that. Cause again, until you actually hear Roger Goodell, you know, say that the pick is in and Fernando Mendoza is the guy, there's always that slight chance. But man, I'm so happy for Raider Nation. I really am. Just to, you know, see, I walked around the actual theater where the draft was taking place a little bit before the draft and saw a handful of Raider fans that they were so fired up and excited even without the quarterback being in the building. They knew all what was coming and what that meant for the future of the silver and black. And just to see how excited and fired up they were just made me even happier because again, it just feels like the corner is finally being turned with this organization. It's been far too long that the Raiders have been a successful, consistently successful team. And I just think that everyone could really feel it. Now again, they've still got a lot of heavy lifting to do. Hell, they still got two more days worth of NFL draft that they gotta get through. And then they gotta go coach these guys up. They gotta go out there, win some football games and get back to commitment to excellence and just win baby. But man, it really does feel like the corner is being turned and you can see the light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to the silver and black. And it feels like the right people are in place from John Spitek, the GM, to head coach Clint Kubiak and everyone else involved with the silver and black, including their quarterback, now official Fernando Mendoza. But who else could they look to add to the roster? Round two, round three, Friday. We'll talk about that next coming up segment number two of today's Locked On Raiders podcast. Before we get to that though, I do want to tell you about a couple of great sponsors we have here on the show. And the first one is Rugiet. The NFL draft is here. As a matter of fact, round one, it's in the books. Where preparation meets opportunity, every decision matters. It's all about being ready when your moment comes. Isn't that right? And the same mindset applies off the field too. And that's where Rugiet comes in. Rugiet offers treatments designed to help you feel ready and confident when it matters most. Their top option, Rugiet Ready, is a mint. It dissolves under your tongue with clinically proven ingredients. So it works quickly, often in about 15 minutes, and you can last up to 36 hours. That is, what, a day and a half? And they also offer GoLong, designed to help with both performance and control. It's all about showing up at your best whenever your moment is. Head to rugiet.com/locked on NFL. Get 15% off your ED treatment. That's rugiet.com/locked on NFL for 15% off. rugiet.com. rugiet.com/locked on NFL for 15% off. Rugiet, performance medicine for men. I also want to tell you about the title sponsor of the show, and that is FanDuel. The NBA playoffs are here. Every possession matters. Every matchup is magnified. And every game can swing a series. Right now, FanDuel is giving new customers a great way to get in on the action. And you're going to like a lot of things about this, right? You could bet just $5 and get 250 in bonus bets if your first bet wins. 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Speaker 4:
[12:04] Your Locked On Raiders, Your Daily Podcast On The Las Vegas Raiders. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, Your Team Everyday.

Speaker 3:
[12:14] Alright, Raider Nation, here we go. Segment number two of today's Locked On Raiders podcast. Want to get into the best options for the Silver and Black today. Day two, rounds two and rounds three. And right now, they're scheduled to pick number 36 overall. That's the fourth pick in round number two. And then they're scheduled to pick the third pick in round number three. So the fourth pick in round number two and the third pick in round number three. And there's a lot of talent that's ready for the Silver and Black. So I'll really focus in on round number two. And look, this is how it's gonna go. So it's the 49ers traded to basically finish off round number one. They're gonna be picking first. They're gonna be picking at number 33, followed by the Cardinals, the Bills, and then the Silver and Black. And at number 36, look, there's a couple guys still that are in the green room. And I don't know if they're gonna be in the green room this afternoon. Once the draft gets started, I don't know if they're gonna decide to come back, but there's a couple guys, there was 16 that was in the room. When we found out who was gonna be there, I had identified a couple guys that I saw that I thought could possibly be there on day two. One was Caden McDonald, defensive tackle at Ohio State. The other one was cornerback Colton Hood, out of Tennessee, and then quarterback Ty Simpson. Now Ty Simpson went number 13 overall to the Rams. Kind of surprised that that happened. Omar Cooper Jr., the Jets made a really good trade at the end of round one to go up and get him. I thought they had a really good day one, but those two guys, Caden McDonald and Colton Hood, still in the green room. I hope they return for day two. Selfishly, I really hope they come back for day two. Just in case the Raiders get one of those guys, I could definitely land an interview with them, which is always what I want to do when I'm here at the draft. I always want to get an opportunity to talk to the prospects. But when it comes to Caden McDonald and you heard from him on Thursday, I got an opportunity to catch up with him at the community event going on here in Pittsburgh. I was 10 toes down with Caden McDonald on Thursday, I'm 12 toes down with Caden McDonald on today. Let's just act like my feet grew one extra toe on each foot. Now I got 12 toes. I'm trying to tell you, that dude to me, and I have plenty of people hitting me up after round one was over. Well, what do you think, Hugh? What do you think at 36? I'm like, man, I believed in Caden McDonald today. Why am I not going to believe in him tomorrow? Like, yes, Caden McDonald is that guy. I really do truly believe that he can be the guy for the Raiders at pick number 36. But think about this, with the talent that's there, and there's plenty of talent, Caden McDonald, Colton Hood, Emmanuel McNeil Warren, the safety out of Toledo, Y receiver Denzel Boston, those guys are all available. Avion Terrell, the cornerback, Emmanuel Pregnon, the guard. Let's see, Christian Miller, right? The defensive tackle, linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, defensive end Zion Young. Just to name a few, the cornerback, D'Angelo Pons, Jeremy Bernard, the wide receiver. Those are just trading stokes, right? There's just, those are just a few of the guys that are available right now. There's an opportunity for the Raiders to decide to, well, you know what? These guys we're comfortable with this guy, this guy, this guy. So maybe they're uncomfortable with Caden McDonald, Colton Hood, Avion Terrell, and Emmanuel Pregnon. If they're comfortable with all those guys and they happen to be there when they're about to pick 36, they could easily trade back and say, well, we'll take any of those guys. Those guys are all super talented. We'll take any of those guys, add them to the mix. And oh, by the way, if we trade back a couple of spots, we can collect some more draft capital. I do believe that that is in play. I would not be surprised because there is so much talent. And look, I know this is not a star draft, you know, it's really more as Joel Clatt told me, it's solid. A lot of solid starters, not necessarily a bunch of stars. I do believe that there's a chance that you see the Raiders make multiple picks in round number two. I'm gonna specify round number two because I just think that that is gonna be a real strong possibility for him. Again, because there's just so many, like for example, now I'm forgetting his name, Halsey, my LSU safety, AJ Halsey, the guy that I like so much. He seems to me like a mid-second round guy. So why get him at 36 if you can maybe trade back a few picks and then boom, go ahead and get them there. And there's plenty of guys like that. I mean, I think that you can probably get Denzel Boston, maybe at around 40, depending on what happens. Again, with the 49ers, Cardinals, Bills and the Raiders sitting there with the first four picks in round number two and all that talent that I just rattled off. What if they wanna go linebacker? I think Jacob Rodriguez is a mid-second round guy. I don't think he's the guy that's gonna go top of the second round, but I can see him mid-second round, so maybe they trade back a little bit for him. They're in a really, really good position, and it almost feels too good to be true. Like they haven't done anything aggressive yet, and I'm not saying that they're not gonna do anything aggressive, but they haven't done anything aggressive yet, and they're still in a really good position. And for the first time in a long time, it just feels like what they're doing is making sense. And it almost feels like the ball is bouncing the way that they need it to. You know what I mean? And it just that doesn't happen for the Raiders, but it's not that it doesn't happen for the Raiders, it's just that the people that have been in charge haven't made it make sense, right? They haven't gone and made the right calls. Now look, getting Fernando Mendoza number one, that was easy, right? That was a no brainer. So now they gotta do the heavy lifting and really decide who's gonna help this team go from here to there, right? Who's gonna help this team really grow? That's why I've been talking about Caden McDonald a lot. I think that he's a big time difference maker. And that's what you need. I've been talking about it. Three starters out of this draft not named Fernando Mendoza. So they made one pick so far and it was Fernando Mendoza. So they still have to get three starters and they have nine picks as of right now to get it done. They can easily do that at 36. They could probably do that if they trade back a little bit in the middle of round number two. And again, it's a very deep draft with talent. It's not a lot of stars. So I mean, I just rattled off a handful of names. Jermod McCoy, the cornerback, he might be the best corner that's even in this draft, but he toured his ACL, didn't play at all in 2025. There's some injury concerns. That's why he's still available. I mean, he was so good in 2024. If he had never got injured, he'd have long been gone. Manuel McNeil Warren, it's funny, I was talking about him on my radio show on a Thursday. And matter of fact, Clay Baker said, that's the guy that I like that I think he should identify as a Raider. He should, if the Raiders could find a way to get him, that'd be great. And I said, yeah, that would be, but you would have to trade back into the backend around one to get him. Well, there he is. He's still available. Right? So again, we think that we know a lot of times when it comes to these players and where they're going to go, where their trajectory is, and then we don't know. Now I will say, I hit it right on the head when I say Caden McDonald and Colton Hood would probably be available in round number two. And those were guys that were invited to the draft. There was guys that were in the green room. So I was spot on with those two. I just missed on Ty Simpson. Didn't think that he was going to go as early as he did. But man, think about this talent. Caden McDonald, Colton Hood, Emmanuel McNeil Warren, Denzel Boston, all those guys, if the Raiders came away with any of those guys that picked 36, that's a win. And then you have other guys, Emmanuel Pregnon, again, the guard, you want to solidify that offensive line, you can do that. Christian Miller, the defensive tackle. I think he's probably defensive tackle number three. He's a really talented guy. Linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, I've talked about him, Tom Blue in the face, like that dude is a really talented linebacker and I think you need to add more linebacking help to this Raiders roster. Zion Young, the defensive end, really, really good. TJ Parker, defensive end, really, really good. D'Angelo Pons, I'm a big fan of him. I know he's a smaller guy, but he plays big. He's got that dog in him. He's available. Jeremy Bernard, Las Vegas native, why receiver went to Alabama, right? He can be a big target for Fernando Mendoza. I mean, there's so many guys. And then Trayden Stokes, right? Again, more additions to the secondary. He was coming off a ACL. He's back, he's healthy, and he looks really good. Now, you know, I would probably pick him a little bit later on, just because he's coming back from the injury. And I'm not a big fan of the injured guys. That's why I was surprised that Caleb Banks went as early as he did in round number one, right? Because he's a big man with a foot injury. And I know that there was a letter sent to all the teams saying that he was going to be good to go by training camp. But I don't trust that. So, you know, he'll be a steal for someone else. He's not going to be a steal for the silver and black. But look, hey, big ups to him for going in the first round. He's a heck of a player. But there's so much talent still waiting for the silver and black. So I'm hoping I got my fingers crossed. I got anything, you know, any kind of lady luck that I got on my side, that Caden McDonald is the guy would really like an opportunity to talk with him, chow it up with him. And if he is selected by the Raiders at 36, you want to talk about a dude that's going to have a chip on his shoulder. You think Max Crosby runs around with a chip on his shoulder. Caden McDonald would have a massive chip on his shoulder, and that's only going to motivate him and push him to be the even better version of himself than he already is. So you heard what he had to say on Thursday's show. I would love to have an opportunity to catch up with them following a selection by the Raiders and see how he's feeling, seeing what that chip is like and what kind of player the Silver and Black are getting, but plenty of talent. Raider Nation, I think that they're in a really good place, and I cannot wait to see what they do with day number two, rounds two, and rounds three. What's on your mind? Your calls and texts will close out the show, 707-654-4693. We'll hear from you next. Before we get to that, though, I do want to tell you about another great sponsor we have here on the show, and that's Cauchy. The NFL draft, you already know it's this week. Rounds two and three of the day, rounds four through seven are coming up on Saturday. 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Speaker 4:
[22:34] Your Locked On Raiders, Your Daily Podcast On The Las Vegas Raiders. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, Your Team Everyday.

Speaker 3:
[22:43] Here we go, Raider Nation, segment number three of today's Locked On Raiders podcast. Press your calls and text right off that Locked On Raider Podcast. Voicemail line 707-654-4693. Before we hear from you, do want to thank you so much for making this the first listen of the day. Up first, we got a text from my guy, JustWinWill. Aloha Q, Aloha Ari. This Aloha Friday, April 24th, 2026 is going to go down as the greatest Aloha Friday in the history of Aloha Fridays for the Raiders. Here's your productive draft weekend for the Raiders. I know this is the podcast, but the Locked On Network deserves some Aloha Fridays. Go to LOL Safe Travels, back to Vegas Q. Go Raiders, that's just when will. Thanks for the text. I appreciate you. And yeah, every Friday on my radio show, Unnecessary Roughness on Radio Nation Radio 920, we have Aloha Fridays because Hawaii is my favorite place on Earth. That's my happy place. And so on Fridays, we do Aloha Fridays. I didn't even know that was a thing, but someone from the islands let us know that Fridays is Aloha Friday. So we immediately went to that. So that's what he's talking about. And yeah, with the addition of Fernando Mendoza, yeah, it's definitely going to be a really good Aloha Friday. So shout out to Raider Nation. Aloha on this Aloha Friday. Just went Will. Thanks so much for the text. Definitely appreciate you. Up next got a call from Darren in the 203. He's calling to talk about how he feels about round one and what he's thinking about in round number two. Here's Darren in the 203.

Speaker 7:
[24:02] Thank you. It's Darren calling in from the 203. Very happy that it's said and done in the books, straight up to see if we snagged something later in the first round. So obviously we didn't. I would love to see Rodriguez, whether it means we move up to pick 33 or sit at 36. But if we can get Rodriguez, then that's getting your field general on the offense and the defense for the future, in my opinion. Outside of, actually, I missed the 32nd pick, so I'm going to feel like an ass if he went 32. Anyway, outside of that, I think it's going to be interesting to see how things play out for the next couple of years, because the Jets basically did what some people hoped the Raiders would have done, had they traded it back with the Jets, and then gone ahead and traded Crosby, having three first round picks, and then also, what's his name? Dan O. Dan O'Walsky. Close enough. He, his little theory, right? I guess we put the test in terms of who turns out to be better value than the future Mendoza 1 or Simpson at 13. So, I think it went well. I'm happy with the pick. Again, wish we snuck up in later in the first round. But, it is what it is. Hopefully we get red regas in the second round. Go Raiders. Appreciate you. Appreciate you.

Speaker 3:
[25:36] Big Darren, thanks for the call. Appreciate you. Yeah, man, I was intrigued to see if they were planning on making moves at the end of round one. And apparently they were. Apparently there was some thoughts about it, but nothing ever came to fruition, right? But the good thing is there's so much talent still available. Like I just rattled off about 10 names in segment number two that are available. And you know, the Raiders could stick and pick at 36. They could trade back a little bit and still get a really talented dude. This is such an important draft and this is such an opportunity to build a really strong foundation of talent. And we've heard that before with this team, but it really is an opportunity to build that strong foundation of talent. And I feel like they have the right guys in place to go ahead and make that happen. So we'll see how it's all going to play out. Round one had just kind of a weird vibe to it, the way that a lot of moving and shaking was going on. But at the same time, it's the NFL draft, man. You just, you have to prepare for what you're not prepared for. If you know what I mean. Darren, thanks for the call. Definitely appreciate you. Up next, got a text from D in the 408. So Sabna Q, it's Raider D in the 408. Glad the conversation is over and we have Mendoza. Feels great. Couple things. Remember last year when people were saying that taking Gentie at a top six position was too high for a running back? Well, the Cardinals did it with pick number three, taking Jeremiah Love. Last thing, when it comes to Besht and Thornton, I wasn't paying attention to their draft projections last year, but did we get them at a good price? As far as the draft pick, we got the map. Or did last year's staff just get it completely wrong and not play them anymore? I'm comfortable not getting the top wide receiver until we see what they can do. Anyways, appreciate everything you and Ari do. Love the squad show as well. Keep it up. Go Raiders. That's RaiderD in the 408. Thanks for the text. I appreciate you. And yeah, Jeremiah Love is a stud. And for anyone that was questioning why he went number three to the Cardinals, they're crazy. That dude is an absolute monster. And he's going to give the Cardinals a really talented player to add to the roster. And so funny, there was a time when we just talked about talented players. Just go get a very talented player to add to your team. Now it's like, well, you know, that's for that position is too high and the value is not there. Man, just go get talented players. I'm glad the Raiders got Gentia 6. I'm excited for Jeremiah Love going to number three to the Arizona Cardinals. As far as Besh and Thornton, I think Besh probably was drafted a little higher than expected, but I mean, that's fine. They just didn't get to get on the grass and really do anything in games. Now they saw him in practice. They see him in the weight room. They see him in the building. They know what they're all about. John Spiatek said he feels very comfortable standing next to them and believing in them because they care and they take criticism really well. I'm okay if they don't go get a big-time Y receiver as well. And maybe just address that next year. If the Y receiving corps that they have this year doesn't pan out, and they say, hey, there's still holes, we need to go and get this guy, that guy, the other, then fine, go do that. Right? John Spiatek already said this is not going to be a one year turnaround. It's going to take a couple of years to get things cooking the way that it's supposed to. So if they address a lot of areas of need, I say that in air quotes and add some really good talent, maybe they are not able to get that number one wide receiver because there's a big drop off after, you know, really round two. And then all of a sudden you're going to see guys that are good, but they're not elite. And I think that's what you're looking for right now is probably an elite wide receiver as opposed to just one. That's good. So if they end up waiting, I'm okay with that as well. Thanks so much for the text. Definitely appreciate you. Got a call from Cade in Wisconsin. He's called to talk about a linebacker and why he believes the register focused on him on day number two. Here's Cade in Wisconsin.

Speaker 8:
[29:04] Yo, what's good, Q? This is Cade in calling from Wisconsin. I called a while ago referring to, in regards to Anthony Hill, Jr. And the first round just got done. So he did drop to the second round. And I think it would be a great idea if he drops to us here. And day two, I think we should get him. I think our linebacking corps has been bad for quite some time now. And we're an injury away like with our new additions from just being super thin at that position. So I think Anthony Hill Jr., if he drops to us, I think we need to get him. See you.

Speaker 3:
[29:40] Kayden, thanks so much for the call. I appreciate you. Anthony Hill Jr., linebacker from Texas. Really good player for sure. And like Rodriguez, and I know that was talked about in the first call from Darren in the 203, I think both those guys are probably mid round, second round guys, but mid, not really the top of the round two. So maybe those are trade back candidates, right? Just like I was talking about in segment number two, I could see those guys being, you know, just the Raiders trade back a handful of picks and may be able to pick those guys up. I would love to see the Raiders come away from the draft with both those guys, right? I think they're both really good quality linebackers. And you know, if one of those guys like N'Kobe Dean has had injury history for sure, if he goes down, all of a sudden the linebacker room looks a little, you know, suspect. So yeah, I definitely think that they need to add some talent to that linebacker room for sure. But Rodriguez Hill or both, that would be a win as far as I'm concerned. Kaden, thanks so much for that. I do appreciate you. We'll close out with a text from DJ in the 906. Go DJ, because that's my DJ. Go DJ, because that's my DJ. That was Kimani's one of his favorite songs. So shout out to my man Kimani. That was his song right there, Go DJ, when Lil Wayne was doing his thing back when he was actually really Lil Wayne. But let me get to the text. Text from DJ in the 906. Hey Q, DJ from the 906. I'm in Michigan, but the Upper Peninsula is Green Bay territory. I'm up here repping the silver and black for us all. I'm a first time call in, so I just want to put my two cents in here on the day of the draft. I love pro style quarterbacks, big, who can stand in the pocket and put the ball where it's supposed to go. Not a fan of these smaller, agile quarterbacks who put themselves at risk trying to create highlight reels with their feet. It's fancy and all, but having that high IQ mind is where it's at. The pen is mightier than the sword. You could tear apart a defense on how to exploit them and I feel like Mendoza will be that quiet philosopher in the film room and be well prepared on game days. I got my Raiders gear on to make sure that my coworkers know that today is the Raiders Day. I want that big ex-receiver. Mendoza and Cousins bad, but my favorite Raider is Charles Woodson. We need that stout defense to give our offense the dominant ball possessions. So let's go get our offensive line some depth and beef up our defensive line and secondary. Maybe we'll find that ex-receiver next year through the draft, trade a free agency. The autumn wind is a Raider, just win baby. Let's go. That's DJ in the 906. Really good stuff. And you got the quarterback. You got the guy that can stand tall in the pocket, 6 foot 5. He's got the arm strength. He's actually put on a little bit of weight as well. He has enough athleticism. Not a guy that's going to try to sit there and run around the yard and be Lamar Jackson. But if he needs to pick up some yards, pick up a first down, he can absolutely do that. And you're right. You know, the trenches need to be, you know, added to as far as talent goes. Offensive line, defensive line, they both need some more talent. You know, you need some more help in the secondary. Lying back in, I mean, you really, it's really not an area of the team that doesn't need to be addressed. I mean, for the most part, people say the tight end room is pretty set, but you still don't know what's going on with Michael Mayer. So that's also a question. But yeah, I think you're pretty spot on with your techs, my man. And like I said before, and you said the same thing, if you don't go get that big receiver this year, maybe you go get that guy next year. But thanks so much for that. We do appreciate you. We do have the Raider Squad Show coming up this morning to close things out. Big Link, Lincoln Kennedy, Chantelle Chan and myself will do that 730 to 830 AM Pacific time. So that's what we're at. It's 1030, 1030 to 1130 where I'm at Eastern time zone. The math is math for your boy. And of course we'll see what rounds two and round two and rounds three, I should say, bring the Raiders for sure. And of course we'll be back on Monday to break the whole draft down and kind of give you our early grades on how we think the Raiders did. So enjoy the draft today. The rest of the draft on Saturday. Enjoy your weekend. We'll be back on Monday Raider Nation and you know, you know how it is, man. Take care of yourself, take care of family, love on your family. And as always, Just win, baby.