Height: 5-10 1/8
Weight: 225
40 Time: 4.45
Position: RB
College: Illinois
Birthdate: June 19, 1987
Hometown: Skokie, Ill.
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NFL Draft Scouting Report
Has 4.48 speed … Great burst to the outside … Patient runner with good vision … Good size … Can catch the ball out of the backfield … Great feet … Runs with power … Breaks tackles … Workhorse … Battles for additional yardage
Combine
- 26 reps
- 4.45 at the combine
College career
2007
v Syracuse: 5 yard TD run to outside on option … Broke through at line and ran clear for 50 yard TD for his frst career three TD game // v Wisconsin: 10 yard gain on shovel pass on third and three … 26 yard run burst up middle with good patience to set up blocks … 33 yard TD run on option pitch down the sideline, taking on the DB at the 5 to get in at the corner … Stop-go move in the hole to bust outside for 20 … Quick feet and good patience for short down conversion … 16 yard pickup with quick cutback on 3rd and 12 screen … Easy 5 yard TD run to the outside on pitch (ruled a forward pass) … Good aggression with second effort for five yard gain … Powered over right side for 5 yard TD, his third … Stuffed on edge, but broke away and reversed field for 24 yards … 19-160-2TDs rushing and 4-33-TD receiving // v OSU: Didn’t get any yards in first quarter … Good cutback for 14 on first play of second quarter … Hit hole hard on 4th and 1 and broke several arm tackles for 25 … Ran for a tough 88 yards on 26 carries
Capped off his college career (he elected to head to the NFL after his junior season) in the Rose Bowl, with 17 carries for 155 yards, including a 79-yard touchdown run, as well as five catches for 59 yards … Tied for 28th in the nation in scoring and is 17th nationally in rushing … Fifth in the Big Ten in scoring and fourth in rushing … Ranked 33rd in the nation and fifth in the Big Ten in all-purpose yards … Ranked 15th in the Big Ten in total offense … Had 18 carries for 85 yards, and caught four passes for 26 yards against #26 Michigan … Ran 15 times for 67 yards and caught three passes for 27 yards at Iowa … Rushed 19 times for 160 yards and two touchdowns, and caught four passes for 33 yards and one touchdown against #5 Wisconsin … Earned his second “Helmet Sticker” award from the ESPN College GameDay crew in three weeks for his performance against #5 Wisconsin and was one of four nominees for the AT&T All-America National Player of the Week Award … Rushed 18 times for 76 yards and a touchdown against #21 Penn State … Also caught four passes for 27 yards against the Nittany Lions … Rushed for over 100 yards for the third-straight game with a career-best 27-carry, 214-yard, one-touchdown performance at Indiana, the most yards by an Illini runner since 1998 … Also caught three passes for 18 yards and a touchdown at Indiana … Earned a “Helmet Sticker” award from the ESPN College GameDay crew for his performance at Indiana and was one of four nominees for the AT&T All-America National Player of the Week Award … Notched consecutive 100-yard games with his 16-carry, 150-yard, three-touchdown effort at Syracuse … His three scores at SU marked the first time an Illini running back had at least three rushing TDs since 2002 … Had a career-high 23 carries for 139 yards and a touchdown against Western Illinois, topping 1,000 yards for his career … Also caught one pass for 16 yards against WIU … Had a team-high 11 carries in the season opener against Missouri, rushing for 42 yards and a career high-tying two touchdowns … Also caught three passes for 59 yards against Mizzou, including a 42-yard reception, Illinois’ longest play of the game.
2006
Finished the season ranking 10th in the Big Ten in rushing yards per game and had a league-best 8.2 yards per carry for the season … Recorded his second 100-yard rushing game of the season with 113 yards on only five carries vs. Northwestern … Vs. the Wildcats, he broke free for an 86-yard touchdown run, the longest play from scrimmage of the season, which also ranks as the fourth-longest run in school history … Averaged 7.8 yards per carry for 39 yards vs. Purdue … Had seven carries vs. Ohio State, scoring the team’s only touchdown on a three-yard run … Rushed eight times for 26 yards at Wisconsin … Rushed 14 times for a career-high 162 yards, a 79-yard run and caught one pass for 11 yards at Penn State … Rushed seven times for 94 yards against Ohio … Rushed five times for 29 yards against Indiana … Rushed five times for 17 yards at Michigan State … Rushed five times for 14 yards against Iowa … Caught two passes for a career-high 78 yards and a touchdown against Syracuse, including a 76-yarder, the 11th-longest catch in school history … Rushed for 75 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries against Eastern Illinois … Also caught a team-high four passes for 50 yards against the Panthers, while compiling 125 all-purpose yards … Earned CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honors … Academic All-Big Ten.
2005
Played in 10 games at running back, rushing for 218 yards on 48 carries … Posted 64 yards rushing on 11 carries in his debut against San Jose State … Registered 80 all-purpose yards that game with the addition of 16 yards receiving … Had nine carries against Penn State and at Purdue … Also caught 13 passes for 82 yards and two touchdowns … Caught touchdown passes in games against Penn State and Michigan State … Recorded a four catches for 30 yards vs. the Nittany Lions … Posted a rush of 18 yards and 16-yard catch against PSU … Joined Illinois team in the spring of 2005, graduating early from high school.
High School Career
Rated the No. 1 recruit in the state of Illinois by Scout.com … A five-star prospect by Scout.com … Named to Rivals Top-100 team … Rated No. 17 among national recruits by the Atlanta Journal Constitution … Ranked the nation’s 24th-best recruit by Scout.com … Named to the Student Sports Top-100 list of senior prospects … Averaged 9.1 yards per carry as a senior at Niles West, rushing for 1,453 yards on 160 attempts and 14 touchdowns … PrepStar All-American and Dream Team selection … Named the No. 1 recruit in the state of Illinois by the Chicago Sun Times … Named to SuperPrep’s Elite 50 list … Also a SuperPrep All-American selection, ranked the nation’s No. 4 running back by the same publication … The sixth-highest rated running back in the nation by Scout.com … Participated in the Fifth Annual U.S. Army All-American Bowl … As a junior, rushed for 1,832 yards and 19 touchdowns, while averaging 11.6 yards per carry … Recorded 1,300 yards and 21 scores as a sophomore … Verbally committed to Illinois as a junior … Also had over 1,000 career yards receiving and 13 touchdown catches … Was a three-year All-Central Suburban Conference selection for football and two-time pick for track … Named to all-state teams as a junior in both football and track … An all-area selection for both sports as a sophomore and during his junior year for football … Was the Outstanding Performer at the Illinois Prep Top-Times meet as a junior … Finished seventh in the state 100-meter dash as a sophomore … Also lettered in basketball … High school football coach was Mark Egofske.
Background
Full name is Rashard Jamal Mendenhall … Son of Walter and Sibyl Mendenhall … Born on June 19, 1987 … Older brother, Walter, is also a member of the Illini football team … Majoring in sport management … Would like to pursue a career in graphic design.
Career Highs
Career Highs:
- Carries: 27 at Indiana, 9/22/07
- Rushing Yards: 214 at Indiana, 9/22/07
- Receptions: 4, four times (last vs. Michigan, 10/20/07)
- Receiving Yards: 78 vs. Syracuse, 9/16/06
- Touchdown Catches: 1, three times (last time vs. Syracuse, 9/16/06)
- All-Purpose Yards: 232 at Indiana, 9/22/07