Steelers’ Parker must adjust by sharing the ball with rookie Mendenhall

Pittsburgh’s top ballcarrier is recovering from a broken leg.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers can’t afford to have the wheels come off Willie Parker again.

NFL teams rarely devote a first-round draft pick to a position of strength, but that is exactly what the Steelers did by choosing Rashard Mendenhall of Illinois with the No. 23 pick last weekend.

Suddenly, Parker — the NFL’s leading rusher until breaking his right leg on Dec. 20 — finds himself competing for every carry and every snap. The Steelers didn’t draft Mendenhall to sit him, and that means Parker must share a ball that rarely wound up in any other Pittsburgh back’s hands last season.

Parker and Mendenhall were on the field together for the first time Friday during the Steelers’ mandatory three-day minicamp, and the Steelers’ Pro Bowl running back acknowledged it was a bit of an adjustment sharing a position.

“I mean, I was a little surprised” when Mendenhall was drafted, Parker said.

Still, Parker said the move “might add some years to my career” and could prevent another late-season fade by the Steelers, who lost four of their final five last season.

The Steelers had almost no running game during their 31-29 wild card playoff loss to Jacksonville, a situation that likely wouldn’t have occurred if they had possessed a second capable running back.

Coach Mike Tomlin joked he planned to run Parker “until the wheels came off” and, when they did, the Steelers were one and done in the playoffs.

Tomlin and director of football operations Kevin Colbert cited that in their decision to draft Mendenhall, who ran for 1,681 yards and 17 touchdowns at Illinois last season.

“Yeah, I understand,” Parker said. “They felt like we didn’t have no running backs when I went out. ... Now, let’s go get better, man. I’m not trying to be average, I want to be the best and whatever makes me better, I’m all for it.”

Parker, who wasn’t drafted in 2004 yet has rushed for at least 1,202 yards in all three NFL seasons he has started, has had quite a workload for a player who got few carries in college at North Carolina.

He carried 337 times in 2006 and 321 last season, despite missing most of the final two games — the fourth and fifth most single-season attempts, respectively, in franchise history.

With Mendenhall around, Parker probably won’t get nearly as many carries, which might reduce his yardage, yet keep him fresher during a demanding season that includes games against the Jaguars, Giants, Colts, Patriots, Chargers, Cowboys and Browns.

“You’re going to feel it ... when you touch the ball like I did last year,” Parker said. “My body took a toll last year.”

And not just because of the broken leg, which he said is fully healed.