Gutierrez: Pairing a young QB with an experienced mentor seems to be the direction the Raiders are heading

PHOENIX – Let’s start to put some pieces together, shall we?

Yes, the Raiders hold the No. 1 overall draft pick, and they’ve been heavily linked to Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza.

Plus, the Raiders currently have only one quarterback on the roster, and Aidan O’Connell has started 17 times in three seasons.

So, what is first-year coach Klint Kubiak’s philosophy when it comes to a young QB, should the Raiders (wink, wink; nudge, nudge) draft one but still need a veteran in the room? Glad you asked, because Kubiak was succinct on the topic during his 35-plus minute breakfast session at the NFL Annual Meeting here Tuesday.

“I think ideally you don’t want him to start from Day 1,” Kubiak said of a rookie QB. “You’d love him to be able to learn behind somebody. That’s in a perfect world. I know, like I said before, it doesn’t always work out that way.

“Sometimes, they have to play from Day 1, and it’s our job, as a coach, to get him ready to go. I think it does help the player, though, if they can sit behind a mature adult and watch how they run the show.”

Now, clear your throat and summon your best Kirk Cousins voice.

You like that? You like that!

And if you didn’t catch the potential Kirko Chainz-prepping-Heismandoza reference, well…

Yeah, Cousins, a four-time Pro Bowler who has been in the NFL since 2012 but is currently on the free agency market, mentoring Mendoza in Sin City has been one of the more prevalent theories bounding about the Arizona Biltmore this week.

But nothing is official until it’s official.

Such as this offseason’s Maxx Crosby Chronicles. Short detour because, of course Kubiak was also asked about the edge rusher returning to the Raiders after the aborted trade to Baltimore.

“Maxx is the best player on our defense,” Kubiak said. “He’s going to be a leader on our team and a guy that we’re counting on to go win a lot of games.

“We lost him, we got him back, our team’s better. Hell yeah.”

But back to the QB quandary.