CHICAGO – It wasn’t quite the same as Brady Quinn’s infamous, sweat-inducing wait last year, but Rashard Mendenhall’s cell phone remained silent much longer than he would have liked during the first round of the NFL Draft on Saturday.

The former Illinois running back sat with family and friends during a private draft party in the VIP “Foundation Room” at Chicago’s House of Blues. Mendenhall kept one eye on the phone and one on the television, waiting for something, anything, that would bring his new NFL team, and his NFL dreams into focus.

Williams. Albert. Rodgers-Cromartie. Cherilus. Flacco. Otah. Talib. Baker.

Name after name flashed across Mendenhall’s screen. None of them revealed his new destination.

Needless to say, things got a bit uncomfortable.

“It was rough, man,” Mendenhall said. “Coming into today, I told myself I wasn’t going to be nervous at all and I was going to be cool until I got picked, but it didn’t happen like that at all.”

Waiting out the time each team is allotted to make a draft pick is like riding a 10-minute-long roller coaster over and over again. Expectations and hopes build and build, often to uneasy levels. Then, in an instant, they come crashing down.

“It’s just crazy to see,” Mendenhall said. “As each team goes by, every 10 minutes, you can end up in this city, playing for this team. It’s just a completely different feeling.”

Before and during the draft, Mendenhall exchanged texts and phone calls with former Illinois players Pierre Thomas and Alan Ball. Ball, a cornerback with the Dallas Cowboys, told Mendenhall he liked his chances of joining him in Texas.

But it was not meant to be. With the 22nd overall pick, the Cowboys selected Arkansas tailback Felix Jones.

“There were a lot of teams (where) I thought that was it, you know, and the trades, they kind of throw you off and everything. I just tried to sit down and be as cool as I can,” Mendenhall said.

Finally, 10 minutes later, the cell phone broke the silence. Mendenhall’s name was prominently emblazoned on the television screen.

The uncertainty was over. Head coach Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ front office had drafted him with the 23rd overall pick.

“Everybody just started jumping around and screaming. It was an exciting feeling,” Mendenhall said.

Once the selection was official, Mendenhall became the first Illini to be selected in the first round since Kevin Hardy and Simeon Rice were both chosen in 1996. After setting school rushing records and helping revitalize the Illinois football program last year, Mendenhall may be the one of the most exciting prospects Champaign has ever seen.

So after all of those teams declined his services, the choice brought plenty of relief. With a brand new black-and-gold cap firmly affixed to his head, Mendenhall knew exactly where he stood at football’s highest level.

“After such a long process, and not knowing, and then being at a great team like Pittsburgh, it feels good,” Mendenhall said.

The draft marched on, and the names would continue their glacial progression across the screen. For Mendenhall, however, his selection brought the end to a tumultuous first round that was full of surprises.

While the Raiders’ selection of Darren McFadden with the fourth overall pick was far from a shock, later developments left many onlookers scratching their heads.

Despite being ranked lower than Mendenhall in pre-draft position rankings, Oregon’s Jonathan Stewart and Jones leapfrogged the former Illinois back in the first round.

The hometown team would not come calling either. The Chicago Bears didn’t see a need to use the 14th overall pick on the Skokie, Ill., native, and instead bolstered their offensive line by selecting Vanderbilt left tackle Chris Williams.

The Bears’ decision was a typical approach on day one of the draft. Eight offensive linemen were chosen with the first 26 picks, while no wide receivers were selected in the first round – something that hasn’t happened since 1990.

Regardless of where Mendenhall could have wound up on Saturday, the future is now clearer than ever. The Steelers, three seasons removed from their Super Bowl XL title, went 10-6 last year and won the AFC North.

Unlike premier first-round talent, Mendenhall will join a team ready to compete for a championship next season.

In Pittsburgh, Mendenhall joins Pro Bowlers Troy Polamalu, Hines Ward and Ben Roethlisberger, and will share the rushing duties with Willie Parker and Najeh Davenport.

While he said he isn’t familiar with the city of Pittsburgh, Mendenhall is well-versed in the tradition of the “Terrible Towel.”

“I know about the Pittsburgh fans,” Mendenhall said. “That should be exciting.”

As he prepares for a career in a brand new city, Mendenhall said he would not forget the draft-day snubs when he takes the field for the first time as a professional this fall.

“It’s just motivation, you know?” Mendenhall said.

“I felt like I was the best running back in this draft, but apparently I wasn’t with everybody. I can’t do a thing about that, as far as where I go. This is my job now. I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do from here on.”

Notable Big Ten picks

Player (Pick No.) NFL Team College Position

Jake Long (1) Miami Michigan OT

Vernon Gholston (6) N.Y. Jets Ohio State DE

Rashard Mendenhall (23) Pittsburgh Illinois RB

Dustin Keller (30) N.Y. Jets Purdue TE

James Hardy (41) Buffalo Indiana WR

Chad Henne (57) Miami Michigan QB

Mario Manningham (95) N.Y. Giants Michigan WR

Mike Hart (202) Indianapolis Michigan RB