Niles West's newest favorite son, Rashard Mendenhall, announced that he is entering the NFL draft. As both a Niles West and University of Illinois alum, I couldn't be happier. I believe this will make him the second player to play in the NFL from Niles West - the other being quarterback Jim Hart.
I am glad that the Mendenhall's moved back to Skokie from California:
Mendenhall elected to make his announcement among friends at his high school with a Niles West helmet next to the microphone.
"This is where it all began," their mother, Sibyl Mendenhall, said. "Walter and Rashard played on this field over to the west, and the rest is history."The family moved back to the Chicago area from Culver City, Calif., when the boys' father, Walter III, took a job with Avon in the north suburbs when they were in 4th and 5th grades.
Given his current draft projections, there is a chance that he could be picked by the Bears in the first round.