Mendenhall to be featured on Hey Rookie, Welcome to the NFL

Mendenhall to be featured on Hey Rookie, Welcome to the NFL

By Teresa Varley
Steelers.com
Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall will be one of five rookies featured on Hey Rookie, Welcome to the NFL, which will air on ESPN2 on Tuesday, Sept. 2 at 8 p.m. (ET).

NFL Films and ESPN followed the rookies from draft day to the final cuts in order to give fans an exclusive inside look as to what a rookie goes through.

Cameras followed Mendenhall from the team’s mini-camp, before he left for training camp, during camp and until the first preseason game.

“They came to my house before I left for training camp,” said Mendenhall. “They came for a few visits to see what was going on. They talked to me a few times during training camp.”

The visit at home will show a side of Mendenhall away from football where he opens up about the things he enjoys doing in his free time.

“I was doing a signing and they sat down with me and talked to me about what my interests were off the field and my saxophone,” said Mendenhall. “I didn’t play it at all. I just picked it up a couple of months ago. I played the clarinet for about eight or nine years and a lot of people transition from that.”

While at camp cameras were right there with Mendenhall, following him from the time he walked out of the locker room, onto the field and beyond. It didn’t bother him, though.

“You get used to it doing this,” said Mendenhall. “You just try to keep things as normal as you can.”

Other rookies who will be featured are Darren McFadden (Oakland Raiders), Glenn Dorsey (Kansas City Chiefs), Aqib Talib (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Caleb Campbell (Detroit Lions).

The show will be rebroadcast on Thursday, September 4 at 3:00 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2.