Ideal mentor for Mendoza; West Coast offense expertise; Pro Bowl-level starter

Bob Harris is not the biggest fan of Kirk Cousins as a starter but is an absolute raving fan of the Raiders situation because Cousins learned the hard way—sitting behind Robert Griffin in Washington, making early mistakes, then developing into a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback in West Coast offenses. Cousins has very strong knowledge of the San Francisco/Kubiak-style offense the Raiders will run (shared history with Shanahan and McVay in Washington) and will be a good journeyman teacher for Fernando Mendoza. Cousins is a worker who had to develop from fourth or fifth-round talent level (despite being drafted in round two) into a good quarterback, making him valuable for teaching Mendoza the work ethic and development path required at the NFL level.