By Rory Carroll
April 22 (Reuters) - Famed sports agent Leigh Steinberg said quarterback Fernando Mendoza has the leadership, maturity and physical tools to help revive the Las Vegas Raiders if the team makes him the expected No. 1 overall pick in Thursday's NFL Draft.
Steinberg said Mendoza, who led Indiana to a 16-0 record and a national championship last season, has the qualities teams seek in a quarterback - one capable of carrying a team through adversity and serving as the foundation of a roster
for the next decade.
"The key to winning in football today starts with the franchise quarterback," Steinberg told Reuters.
"And Mendoza is someone a team can build around."
He said Mendoza combines size, arm strength and accuracy with poise in pressure situations, including the ability to lead late scoring drives.
"Games are coming down more and more to the last drive, the last quarter, the last play," Steinberg said. "He's got a track record of doing that."
Steinberg also praised the 22-year-old Heisman Trophy winner's character and leadership, calling him "preternaturally mature," while cautioning that even highly drafted quarterbacks need time and support to adjust to the professional game.
"It's not only drafting him, it's building a successful career arc that's important," Steinberg said. "A young quarterback will make mistakes and it's important not to get despondent."
REBUILDING THE RAIDERS
If Mendoza is selected by the Raiders, the pick could come to mark the start of a new chapter for a team with one of the most passionate fanbases in sports, who are coming off a dismal 3-14 season, he said.
"I think one day we'll look at the rebuilding of the Raiders as starting with him being drafted," he said.
Mendoza has said he will not attend the draft in Pittsburgh in person, in part because he wants to remain close to his family amid concerns about his mother's health.
Holding a draft gathering at home, Steinberg said, would allow the quarterback to share the moment with a wider circle of relatives, friends and former teammates.
DRAFT DRIVEN BY DEFENSIVE TALENT, WIDE RECEIVERS
On the broader draft, Steinberg said this year's first round appears less driven by quarterbacks than recent editions and deeper on defensive pass rushers, offensive linemen and wide receivers.
"Most of the first rounds have been quarterback-driven," he said. "So it has a different look."
He pointed to defensive players such as Arvell Reese and David Bailey as likely early selections and said running back Jeremiah Love could also emerge as a top pick.
Steinberg, 77, is best known as the inspiration for Tom Cruise's character in the film "Jerry Maguire."
He has represented the first overall pick in the NFL Draft an unprecedented eight times and has detailed his draft stories in his recently released book "The Comeback: A Playbook for Turning Life's Setbacks into Victories."
He said the draft remains his favorite day of the year because it represents the culmination of years of sacrifice for players and their families.
"It's a joyful day that marks the fruition of a young man's lifelong dream," he said.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
