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What ever happened to the Pittsburgh Steelers 2008 draft class?

By Ryan Pawloski

PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 09: Running back Rashard Mendenhall #34 of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on from the sideline during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Heinz Field on October 9, 2011 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Steelers defeated the Titans 38-17. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 09: Running back Rashard Mendenhall #34 of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on from the sideline during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Heinz Field on October 9, 2011 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Steelers defeated the Titans 38-17. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images) /
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Running Back Rashard Mendenhall #34 of the Pittsburgh Steelers has a long gain against the New York Jets. (Photo by Al Pereira/Getty Images) /

1.23: Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illinois

Rashard Mendenhall was the first-round selection by the Steelers as they continued to look for a Willie Parker replacement. They were going by a run-by-committee approach to that point and wanted a featured back. He was a promising young back coming to Pittsburgh after a breakout year before entering the draft.

He started his career off slowly as constant injuries nagged his rookie season away. He did not attribute much to the offense and found himself on the sideline more times than he would like. It took some time to adjust to the NFL, but he finally caught on.

His next three seasons showed promise as he started putting up some nice numbers for the Steelers. He was a scrutinized player for most of his career, especially after he fumbled in a Super Bowl loss to the Green Bay Packers. After that, injuries and fumbles started to become a problem and Mendenhall was eventually in free agency.

He played one season with the Arizona Cardinals, where he didn’t do anything special. Mendenhall would retire young and pursue his ambitions of becoming a successful writer. He would make it as a writer on the HBO show, Ballers, but he looks to continue in that career path into the future.

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