The NFL's annual version of its "Underwear Olympics" are in full swing in Indianapolis. But more impressive than anyone's flighty 40-time on the turf of Lucas Oil Stadium is the speed with which stories, content, propaganda and the like are produced by the combine's ever-churning rumor mill.

The Raiders are on the collective minds and lips of the assembled. Owning the No. 1 overall draft pick, boasting nearly $100 million in salary cap space and having hired a new coach, who is fresh off a Super Bowl victory, tends to do that.

A look, then, at three storylines that had the Raiders at the Silver and Black center of the football universe this week in Middle America.

1. The Raiders control the draft, meaning what, exactly?

For the first time since 2007, the Raiders hold the top pick. And sitting there for the taking is college football's feel-good story - Heisman winner and National Champion Fernando Mendoza, the first QB with such a pedigree since Joe Burrow in 2019. And yes, the Raiders need a franchise quarterback.

Badly.

The stars seem aligned. The pick seems obvious. It's a no-brainer, what with Mendoza's skillset a seeming natural fit with new coach Klint Kubiak's offensive scheme, right?

What, you thought Kubiak and second-year Raiders general manager John Spytek were just going to give the masses their pick, some two months before the draft?

Meh, they toed the line. And then some.

"A leader, tough as hell, somebody that loves to play football, maniacal preparer," Spytek said at the podium when asked what he wants in a franchise quarterback. "Obviously, somebody that can throw the ball well but, I think, just somebody that loves the game and will give everything [to] their teammate. A selfless person, somebody that's going to give their team everything that they got, every time that they're out there. Prepare the right way, lead the right way. I think there's a great humility and selflessness required to play that position at a high level."

Have you seen any of Mendoza's interviews? Did you watch his epic 4th-and-5 quarterback draw up the gut for a 12-yard touchdown in the title game against Miami?

Remember when Raiders Owner Mark Davis said a few years back he hoped then-incoming minority owner Tom Brady would not only help the team choose a QB, but also help train him?

Spytek was asked about Brady's potential influence, too.

"I mean, he's the best ever to do it," Spytek said of Brady. "So, I think whoever the quarterback is that's playing for the Raiders has a unique opportunity to learn from the best. And Tom has got a lot of humility to him … just because he did a certain way, he doesn't have expectations that you do it all that way, too.

"But there are some things that he's uncompromising on. And I think whoever the quarterback is for the Raiders, I think Tom is a great resource for them."

Whoever the quarterback is for the Raiders?

Spytek was being coy. Kinda.

Kubiak? He spoke directly of the QB when asked specifically about Mendoza.

"Excited to keep learning about him, and it's not just me, it's our entire coaching staff," Kubiak told a small group of beat reporters in Indianapolis. "I want all our coaches to get involved, especially at that position. I want everybody's input. … Obviously, he's been successful. He had a lot of success last year."

Yeah, like going 16-0 and leading Indiana to the Hoosiers' first national title, while showcasing all those skills - physical and mental - of which Spytek spoke.

2. Can Klint Kubiak cook?

Speaking of coming in off a heater…

The Raiders' sixth head coach since the team moved to Las Vegas in 2020 won a Super Bowl as the Seahawks offensive coordinator on a Sunday, was introduced as the Raiders' new guy in Henderson on Tuesday, was in Seattle for the parade on Wednesday and hit the ground running back in Southern Nevada on Thursday.

He hasn't looked back.

"It's a good problem to have," Kubiak said.

First-time head coaches rarely come to the Raiders off such success (Mike Shanahan comes close, having lost a Super Bowl as the Broncos OC 29 days before Al Davis hired him to replace Tom Flores in 1988; Shanahan lasted just 20 games). But that's exactly what the Raiders are hoping to glean off him. Especially with the power structure put in place by owner Mark Davis - coach (Kubiak) reports to GM (Spytek) who reports to football czar (Brady).

While Kubiak may not initially come off as a rah-rah guy who elicits goosebumps from fans and makes players want to run through a wall for him (think Jon Gruden meets Antonio Pierce meets Pete Carroll), Kubiak is just as clinical. A modern-era Norv Turner, perhaps?

Plus, Kubiak has a championship pedigree, his father Gary a longtime NFL backup QB to John Elway in Denver who won a Super Bowl as the Broncos head coach.

The younger Kubiak's offense in Seattle was PFF's highest-rated unit when in 12 personnel (can you dig it, Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer?) and his running back was just named Super Bowl MVP (true story, Ashton Jeanty).

This is Kubiak's sixth different stop in six straight seasons. Both he and the Raiders are looking for some continuity…and success.

3. Whither Maxx Crosby?

Let's see, Kubiak hired/promoted Rob Leonard, a good friend/mentor of Crosby's, from defensive line coach to defensive coordinator. Kubiak also announced the Raiders would be switching to a 3-4 base defense, which could potentially unlock Crosby as an even more lethal pass rusher in the, ahem, Ted Hendricks mold. And, with so many trade rumors swirling about Crosby, who is still recovering from a knee surgery he announced on social media, Spytek was succinct when asked if he would "anticipate" Crosby being in a Raiders uniform to start the season.

"I do, yes," Spytek said.

And if you thought that should have ended the discussion then and there, welp…

Again, we are knee deep in rumor season. Things can change and as the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport told me this week, "We've learned, especially with the Micah Parsons situation with the Cowboys, you can think a guy's going to be part of the team all the way up until the season starts and then, all of a sudden, he's not. So that is the NFL. That's just the world we live in."

Plus, as Rapoport mentioned, Crosby's recovery makes the timing of a deal relevant and also allows Crosby time to see how the Raiders may have strengthened the team around him in the offseason.

NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms, though, already had a deal in mind for me that would satisfy all parties - Crosby to the Bears for Chicago's first-round pick this year (No. 25 overall), the Bears' first-rounder in 2027 and receiver DJ Moore.

The deal, Simms explained, would give the Raiders three picks in the draft's first 36 selections, not only giving them a WR1 in Moore, but also allowing the Raiders to draft another edge rusher.

Yes, Spytek said he anticipates Crosby being in Las Vegas, and Kubiak also said he wants him. But when asked point-blank if he considered Crosby an "untradeable player" to close out his media session, Spytek smiled and said, "We're always listening, man."

Enjoy the rest of the combine, then.