Steelers Take Ziggy Hood With First-Round Draft Pick
Pittsburgh Goes For Defense With No. 1 Pick
POSTED: 7:24 pm EDT April 25,
2009 UPDATED: 6:57 pm EDT April 26,
2009
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers opted for defense with their first-round draft pick, taking, Evander "Ziggy" Hood at No. 32 overall in the NFL draft Saturday."I couldn't describe the feeling. It was like my stomach tightened up all of a sudden. I almost fainted. When my name popped up, I almost dropped the phone," said Hood of learning he was a Steeler.
Hood is a 6-foot-3-inch, 300-pound defensive tackle from the University of Missouri and a native of Amarillo, Texas, where he also played tight end in high school.
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"He's a high character guy. He plays, he's got a hot motor. He loves the game of football. Described by many members of his team as their guy -- a captain, a leader and good football player," said head coach Mike Tomlin of Hood.It's a change in direction from last season, when the Steelers grabbed Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall with their No. 1 pick.Hood is the first defensive lineman taken by the Steelers in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft since nose tackle Casey Hampton was selected with the 19th overall pick in 2001."We liked him [Hood] from a football standpoint when we saw this kid play in the fall. It was exciting to see him available when we picked him at 32," said director of football operations Kevin Colbert.Drafting Hood enables the Steelers to restock an aging defensive line.The team's four primary lineman are all at least 30 -- defensive end Brett Keisel, 30; Hampton, 31; nose tackle Chris Hoke, 31; and defensive end Aaron Smith, 33.
According to his NFL.com draft profile, Hood had 12 quarterback pressures -- five of which caused interceptions -- in his senior season with Missouri. He also had five sacks, made 62 tackles (31 solo), recovered two fumbles and blocked a kick.Hood was Missouri's team captain and a member of the All-Big 12 Conference's first team. Bio: Ziggy Hood's College Bio Page From Missouri Videos:
Hood was the Steelers' lone selection on day one of the draft.The team traded its second round pick (64th overall) and a fourth round selection to the Denver Broncos for two third round picks."It was a chance to pick up some extra picks. There was a nice group of guys left and rather than just take one of that group, I think we'll have a good chance to get three of that group. It was inviting," said Colbert. Steelers Remaining Draft Picks The Pittsburgh Steelers have added defensive lineman Ra'Shon Harris of Oregon in the sixth round of the NFL draft. With the Steelers' top defensive linemen in their 30s, Pittsburgh sought some youth. They took Missouri defensive end Ziggy Hood in the first round on Saturday. The 6-foot-4, 298-pound Harris is from Pittsburg, Calif. He didn't start at Oregon until his senior season, when he had three sacks and nine tackles for losses. Earlier Sunday, the Steelers chose offensive lineman Kraig Urbik of Wisconsin, receiver Mike Wallace of Mississippi and cornerback Keenan Lewis of Oregon State in the third round; and cornerback Joe Burnett of Central Florida and UNLV running back Frank Summers in the fifth round.Round 3
Copyright 2009 by ThePittsburghChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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