Universal Ramblings

Rashard Jamal Mendenhall was born on 19th June, 1987, he is an American football who plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers 23rd overall in the year 2008 NFL (National Football League) Draft. He played college football at the Illinois.

Rashard attended Niles West High School and Lincoln Jr. High School at Skokie in Illinois .As a 5-star prospect, he was also rated as the No. 1 recruit in the state of Illinois by Scout.com. He had recorded 1,300 yards and 21 touchdowns as a sophomore. As a junior, he rushed for 1,832 yards and 19 touchdowns, while maintaining an average of 11.6 yards per carry. In his last year, he averaged 9.1 yards per carry, rushing for 1,453 yards on his 160 attempts and 14 touchdowns. Following his good career in the high school level, Rashard played in the 2005 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

Rashard Mendenhall was drafted 23rd overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the year 2008 NFL Draft.Prior to his rookie season R Mendenhall was ranked as the 30th best running back in the league by ESPN. On 25th July, 2008, Mendenhall agreed to a 5-year contract worth US$12.55 million with the Steelers, of which $7.125 million is guaranteed. He was expected to be a compliment to Pro-Bowl running back Willie Parker, in addition to the returning kicks. Mendenhall fumbled twice in Pittsburgh’s 3rd pre-season game against the Minnesota; they were attributed to adjusting to the faster pace of the National Football League. Days after the game, teammate Hines Ward placed a ball in Mendenhall’s locker with a note stating that, “Take Mendenhall’s ball away and get $100 from him.” Mendenhall was required to carry that ball everywhere he went until the team’s next game. Mendenhall fumbled once more in the Steelers final pre-season game, but worked with running backs coach Kirby Wilson to fix that problem.