Draft Day 2: Steelers Grab Injured Oregon QB, Woody High Star

Illinois RB Mendenhall, Texas WR Sweed Taken On Day 1

POSTED: 3:12 pm EDT April 26, 2008
UPDATED: 9:42 pm EDT April 27, 2008

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers took a running back in the first round of the NFL draft for the first time in 19 years, choosing Big Ten player of the year Rashard Mendenhall of the University of Illinois with the 23rd overall pick Saturday.

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In 2007, the 5-foot 11-inch, 224-pound Mendenhall, who led the Fighting Illini to the Rose Bowl, was named the Big Ten Conference Offensive Player of the Year, ranking second in the league and eighth in the country with 262 carries, setting school season-records with 1,681 yards (6.4 avg) and 17 touchdowns, according to NFL.com.

He also set a school record with 1,999 all-purpose yards, ranking third in the Big Ten with an average of 153.77 yards per game. And he made 34 catches for 318 yards (9.4 avg) and two touchdowns, scoring 114 points for his final campaign.

"Throughout this whole process, I didn't have any idea that I was going to end up with the Steelers," Mendenhall said. "The draft, you never know. It's a poker game, and you never show what you're going to do. Pittsburgh wasn't among them. Pittsburgh was out of nowhere."

When asked which current back in the NFL he feels he resembles, LaDainian Tomlinson was Mendenhall's answer.

"You look at his decision making and his footwork and his agility, he is a real balanced runner," Mendenhall said. "He can catch the ball and he can run you over as well, so I can make the comparison to L.T."

During the interview, Mendenhall said along with his Steelers hat, he was already sporting a Terrible Towel around his shoulders.

"He's a complete back," said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. "He can run inside. He can run outside. He's a powerful runner. He's elusive. And, of course, he has the speed to go the distance. It shouldn't be difficult finding ways he can contribute to this football team."

"We finalized our preparations mid-week," said Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert. "The coaching staff, scouting staff and ownership, we all sat down and came up with a list of players that we would not trade away from if they were available at 23, and Rashard Mendenhall was one of those players."

The choice is somewhat of a surprise given that the Steelers already have Willie Parker, who was leading the NFL in rushing when he broke his right leg on Dec. 20.

"Most teams have two productive running backs they can count on," Colbert said. "This is one who's a little bigger than Willie, and there's things he can do to complement Willie and that can only help us."

One factor that influenced the Steelers' decision is that they had virtually no running game after Parker was hurt, rushing for only 43 yards in their 31-29 wild-card playoff loss to Jacksonville. They also were worried what kind of offense they would have should Parker get hurt again.

"In all honesty, when you look back at last year, once Willie was injured it made a difference," Colbert said. "Willie Parker is a Pro Bowl running back, and when you go from a Pro Bowl running back to anybody else, there's going to be a dropoff unless you have another Pro Bowl running back. You want to try to add something to that backfield."

The last time the Steelers selected a running back with their first pick was in 1989 with Tim Worley, who proved to be a major bust.

Round 2: Limas Sweed, Wide Receiver, Texas

Following last season, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said he'd like to add a taller wide receiver to the mix. It looks like he got his wish.

Texas receiver Limas Sweed, standing 6-feet 4-inches tall and weighing 212 pounds, was drafted by the team in the second round Saturday evening.

"I think that he (Roethlisberger) is a great guy and a big, tall guy," Sweed said. "He has a big, strong arm who can definitely deliver the ball. There are a lot of things that you want in a quarterback, and he can do all of those things. He is a smart quarterback, and I am just anxious to get in to work with him ... There was a lot of people saying that he was looking for a big receiver, and now he has one."

"I never thought that he would still be at that slot, and obviously we’re very excited to have Limas on board," said Steelers wide receiver coach Randy Fichtner, who had Limas projected as a first-round pick. "I love his range. The circle of catches is extremely large. The area of miss is big. He’s got the longer arms."

When asked if he was disappointed by not being picked in Round 1, Sweed said, "No, because everything happens for a reason. I am with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and I am ready to get in and go to work."

Both Mendenhall and Sweed are seen as playmakers who could add a big-play element to the Steelers' offense.

"We've got two guys who can put the ball in the end zone, and that's important, the last time I checked," Fichtner said.

After being redshirted by Texas in 2003, Sweed split wide receiver duties for the remaining seven games of the season for the Longhorns, pulling in 23 passes for 263 yards.

Entering his final season with Texas, Sweed was rated the best receiver in college football and one of the nation's Top 25 draft prospects by ESPN, according to NFL.com.

While starting 39 consecutive games, the two-time All-Big 12 selection totaled 1,915 yards receiving and hauled in 124 passes. He eventually moved into the school's No. 2 spot with 20 touchdown catches.

Round 3: Bruce Davis, Outside Linebacker, 6'2", 252, UCLA

Bruce Davis of UCLA was drafted by the Steelers 88th overall. Davis played primarily as a defensive end in college but will make the transition to linebacker in the NFL.

As a senior, he started all 13 games for the Bruins and made 47 tackles, 12½ sacks, three forced fumbles and three pass breakups.

His father, also named Bruce, played for the Raiders and Oilers in the 1980s.

Round 4: Tony Hills, Offensive Tackle, 6'5½", 309, Texas

In the fourth round, the Steelers exchanged picks with the New York Giants and got a second sixth-round pick in the deal. Here, they took Hills, who is considered more of a finesse left tackle than a power blocker.

Hills started Texas' first 11 games of 2007, but suffered a fractured left leg that kept him out of the team's last two games.

He had major knee surgery during his time at Texas, too.

Hills (130th pick overall) joined Sweed as the second of two Longhorns drafted by Pittsburgh.

Round 5: Dennis Dixon, Quarterback, 6'3¼", 195, Oregon

The Steelers took Dixon, who tore his ACL his senior year, with the 156th overall pick.

Dixon completed 67.7 percent of his pass attempts for 2,136 yards, 20 touchdowns and four interceptions in 10 games before suffering his season-ending injury. He also ran for 583 yards and nine touchdowns.

He could play wide receiver before eventually taking over the backup quarterback job from Charlie Batch.

"First and foremost, he is a quarterback, but we are excited about some of the potential things that he can do in packages and so forth," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said.

Colbert is also a fan of Dixon's versatility, saying Dixon reminded him of Tennessee quarterback Vince Young and would have been drafted much higher if not for his injury.

"The more you watched him, the more you were impressed," Colbert said.

Round 6: First Pick Mike Humpal, Linebacker, 6'2½", 244, Iowa

Two picks were made in the sixth round. The first, at No. 188 overall, was used on Humpal. He started all 12 of Iowa's games as a senior and had 123 tackles, one sack, two forced fumbles and three interceptions.

Round 6: Second Pick Ryan Mundy, Safety, 6'0½", 205, West Virginia

Mundy, from Woodland Hills High School, was selected No. 194 overall.

Mundy transferred to WVU from Michigan as a fifth-year senior and started all 13 games at safety for the Mountaineers. He made 62 tackles, tied for the team lead with three interceptions and led WVU in pass breakups with seven.

In high school, Mundy also played wide receiver and set the Woodland Hills career record for catches with 54.

Round 7: No Pick

The Steelers traded this draft pick to Atlanta before the start of the 2007 season in exchange for return specialist Allen Rossum, who was released after the season.

Recent Steelers First Round Picks:

Slideshow: Check Out The Former First Rounders

2007 - Lawrence Timmons (LB, Florida State)

2006 - Santonio Holmes (WR, Ohio State)

2005 - Heath Miller (TE, Virginia)

2004 - Ben Roethlisberger (QB, Miami-Ohio)

2003 - Troy Polamalu (SS, USC)

2002 - Kendall Simmons (OG, Auburn)

2001 - Casey Hampton (DT, Texas)

2000 - Plaxico Burress (WR, Michigan State)

1999 - Troy Edwards (WR, Louisiana Tech)

1998 - Alan Faneca (OG, LSU)