Raiders get major help for presumptive No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza

Fernando Mendoza has yet to play his first snap in the National Football League, but he's already trending in the right direction.

Barring a shocking turn of events, the Las Vegas Raiders will take him with the No. 1 pick. That's why they're already making moves to make sure he has all the tools he needs to succeed in the pros, and why they've made their latest hire.

As reported by NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo, the Raiders just hired veteran QB coach Mike Sullivan.

Raiders find a QB mentor for Fernando Mendoza

"The Raiders are hiring a QB coach after all. Mike Sullivan has been tabbed to work with presumptive No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, sources tell The Insiders," Garafolo wrote on X. "It’ll be Sullivan’s fifth stint as a QB coach — two with the Giants, one each with the Steelers and Broncos."

It looked like the Raiders would leave Mendoza's development solely in the hands of new head coach Klint Kubiak and offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko. Sullivan has well-proven experience working with multiple Super Bowl champions.

He worked extensively with Eli Manning as both his quarterback coach and offensive coordinator. He also spent time with Ben Roethlisberger during his final season, followed by Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky and Russell Wilson.

Perhaps less famously, Sullivan was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator when Josh Freeman set a then-franchise record for passing yards, and he also was Case Keenum's coach in 2018.

Now, the Raiders must figure out whether they'll roll with Mendoza from Day 1 or if they want a mentor to take the reins of the offense at first. Whatever the case, they clearly have a vision for the Indiana product.