I'm no expert but, by the numbers, Jonathan Stewart and Rashard Mendenhall are essentially the same prospect. Stewart is 5'11" 230 lbs. Mendenhall is 5'11" 224 lbs. Stewart ran for 1722 yards at 6.2 yards per carry with 22 catches this season. Mendenhall ran for 1681 yards at 6.4 yards per carry and 34 receptions.
If anything Mendenhall has the better numbers with more TD, more catches, and a better YPC.
If Stewart is so unbelievable, why did he spend his last
three games in pivotal November/early December getting 80 carries and traveling only 327 yards and reaching the end zone zero times in college?In Mendenhall's last 87 carries over
four games (including versus Ohio State and So Cal), he posted 560 yards and 5 TD's. Mendenhall also caught a lot more balls out of the backfield this year than Stewart, although I have seen no scouting reports personally about their pass catching abilities. 210 lbs coming out of college is a pretty good weight when you have speed like him. I like Mendenhall over everyone who isn't named McFadden.
you cant take the last 4 games from Medenhall and only take 3 of Stewarts last 4 games, ignoring his best game of that 4 game stretch and get any merit in your comparison.
Because comparing those periods gave one back 87 carries and the other 80...a pretty good comparison. When Oregon's QB went down and defenses no longer had to spread out all over the field, Stewart became a 4 yards per carry back with no breakaways or TD's. He is not as good as Mendenhall IMO.
You're cherry picking games and stats. We're big boys and girls here who don't need you to have the carries be completely even in order to grasp a point to be made (or not) in a comparison.
Okay big girl...let me help you through this.With the stud QB and the defenses spread all over the field, the big back Stewart racked up big yards and TDs regularly. See TJ Duckett. With no stud QB and defenses playing more straight-up, he became a 4 yard per carry back with no breakaways and few TDs. Oregon's new QB, with weeks to prepare to get ready for a bowl game against a lower-tiered conference, had a field day as did Stewart. That proves little. Just ask Colt Brennan about the difference it makes when your "juggernaut" plays a major conference power.
Mendenhall was the focus of every Big 10 defense every week he played and he still put up huge numbers and led his mediocre team to a BCS bowl. So Cal was a top defense in the nation both statistically and in terms of talent and had a long time to prepare to play a team which leaned heavily on one player. Mendenhall ran wild on them. Stewart, even while Dixon was still healthy and prolific, was a 4 yard per carry back in his game vs So Cal in the regular season in 25 carries with a long gain of 16 yards. Mendenhall touched the ball 22 times vs the top-tier So Cal defense in his bowl game, gaining well over 200 yards and posting multiple gains of over 50 yards. I can tell you which kind of back NFL coaches are looking for and it isn't another 4 yards-per-carry guy. If Mendenhall was a small scat back it would be different, but he has enough size and strength to make it plausible that he can be an every-down back.
I am not an Illini homer either. I am a college football fan who saw a lot of Mendenhall the last couple of years. You'd be nuts to take Stewart over him in my opinion.
He's got some serious jets. Oregon track, timed in the 4.3's as a 210 lb HS senior and recently ran a 6.92 60m. CJ spiller, who can fly, ran a 6.82 at the same track.The issue is, as EBF pointed out, is quickness. He may be slow coming in and out of his cuts and used to hesitate to hit the hole but not anymore. Great blend of power and speed. Plays very similarly to Jamal Anderson.Mendenhall is on his level and might have the better NFL potential. He's simply a more complete athlete. Reminds me of Ahman Green while in Nebraska.
