SerpApi.Org
Ahead of each season the NFL Players Association releases its rising stars lists, ranking the top 10 rookies and the top 10 rising veterans. Coming in at the top of the rookie list is the number one overall pick, Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
It is not much of a surprise considering the lack of quality quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft. In fact, no other quarterback made the top 10 rookie list.
But it might not be a good thing to claim the top spot in the NFLPA’s list. The last four players to be ranked as the top rookie before the season started were Travis Hunter, Caleb Williams, Anthony Richardson and Kenny Pickett.
Hunter attempted to play both sides of the ball last season. However he had just 298 receiving yards and didn’t intercept a pass in seven games before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Anthony Richardson has just 15 starts across three seasons tossing 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Pickett is now with the Carolina Panthers, his fifth team in five seasons.
Williams is the sole member of this group to have a successful start to his career after he took Chicago to an 11-6 record and a thrilling playoff win over Green Bay this past season.
But looking beyond the last four years, the stars begin to shine on the NFLPA’s top rookie list. Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow, Kyler Murray and Saquon Barkley headed up the list from 2018 to 2021. Those four should give a good omen to Mendoza’s career.
There is one potential big difference between Mendoza and every other player on the list. The Raiders might not even play Mendoza as a rookie.
Las Vegas general manager John Spytek has mentioned multiple times that he would prefer to see a rookie quarterback sit in his first year. The Raiders signed Kirk Cousins this offseason to presumably be the veteran mentor that not only shows Mendoza the ropes, but starts all season.
We might be waiting until 2027 to see if Mendoza can buck the recent trend of awful rookie play.
Brock Bowers: A star in waiting
The Raiders were also represented on the rising veterans list with tight end Brock Bowerssecuring the third overall spot behind Saints quarterback Tyler Shough and Bears tight end Colston Loveland. Players are only eligible for the rising veterans list if they have not appeared on the top 50 sales list in a previous season.
Through the first two seasons of his career, Bowers has been a star on a bad team. He has amassed 1,874 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in his first 29 games.
With Bowers as the clear top option in the passing game, he should have a monster season regardless of who is at quarterback as Klint Kubiak takes over as playcaller in 2026.
As long as Raiders fans don’t spend all of their money on Mendoza jerseys, Bowers could find himself inside the top 50 of sales after a monster season.
