The Steelers selected West Virginia S Ryan Mundy in the sixth round of the NFL draft.

He’s not likely to be anything more than perhaps veteran Tyrone Carter’s eventual replacement, but if he wants to make this team, he’d better be ready to cover kicks.

The Steelers selected Iowa ILB Mike Humpal in the sixth round (189 overall) of the NFL draft.

Humpal was a second-team All Big10 selection in 2007, and will likely provide some depth behind former All Big 10 selection Larry Foote (Michigan), but play primarily on special teams.

This is a great selection for me, personally. I used to write for a newspaper in Iowa, and I covered Mike when he was a senior at New Hampton High School. He was a stud wrestler, too, and once, he pinned the Heavyweight of the high school I covered. He pinned a lot of people, but I think he was the only wrestler I ever saw pin a guy by sitting on his face.

No, I’m not making this up. Ass square on the kid’s face.

(EDIT: I’m getting conflicting reports from a New Hampton alumnus, who says it wasn’t Humpal. I admit it was about five years ago, and I was usually half asleep at wrestling meets. This says nothing of the fact it was a bad job and an even worse newspaper, so I could have mixed him with someone else. It definitely happened, though.)

As Humpal sat on the kid’s face, he pinned the kid’s shoulders under his knees, and patted the kid’s stomach like a bongo drum. He couldn’t move his arms to tap out or anything, so as he was getting a noseful of Humpal’s ass, he was humiliated even more by having his ample belly played like an instrument.

While I felt like throwing up, the crowd was throwing things at him, and booed mightily. Humpal was suspended for one match.

Small, small world…

The Steelers drafted Oregon QB Dennis Dixon in the fifth round (No. 156) overall.

Why? No clue. Roy Schuening, a guard from Oregon State and someone the Steelers could use, went to St. Louis with the next pick.

ESPN’s Ron Jaworski was gushing about all the things the Steelers can do with Dixon. Since NFL Europa was shut down, I’m not seeing anything at all that the Steelers could do with him.

He certainly is not an NFL quarterback, and it seems they have plenty of weapons on the offensive side of the ball. They could use a grunt.

They won’t get it via the seemingly pointless trade they just made with the Giants, either. According to the running draft board, the Steelers do not have the Giants’ fifth or either one of their two sixth round picks. So basically the Steelers and Giants swapped spots in the fourth for nothing at all this season.  

I haven’t found details yet, they may have one of those picks.

The Steelers selected Texas OT Tony Hills in the fourth round (130 overall) of the draft.

Hills, described by one scout as a “high rewards second-day surprise,” was an All Big 12 lineman in 2007. He has quick feet that could translate over to the left side, where the Steelers need help, but he had problems staying healthy.

He has a lot of raw tools, but needs technique work. This likely won’t be a guy who’s playing in the ideal situation for the Steelers this season, but could turn out to be a very smart pick.

Waiting for details to come out, but the Steelers traded their fourth round pick (No. 123 overall) to the Giants, who selected OLB Bryan Kehl from BYU.

They are listed as having the Giants’ fourth-round pick, No. 130 overall. The only possible offensive tackle options available seem to be right tackles, which the Steelers have plenty of. I know the Steelers have been looking at Auburn’s King Dunlap, but the reviews on him were less-than-optimistic, to put it mildly:

Was very disappointed in this player. Is at best an average worker. Huge but underdeveloped body (lacks core strength). Played with seemingly little tenasity. Lacks power and explosion as a run blocker. Marginal knee bend. Needs to be pushed on and off the field. Passive individual who was questionable to play through pain and injuries. Has little or no chance to play on the left side. 5th to 6th round consideration based on his rare size.

Not that this is what the Steelers say about him, but cripes! Who would want this guy?

Look for Brandon Keith out of Northern Iowa. Jamie Silva is also a possibility, but this pick should be way too high for either of these players.

The Steelers chose UCLA DE/OLB Bruce Davis in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

Davis is said to lack ideal lower body strength, and struggles to hold his ground when taking on a block. This seems to indicate he may be a better OLB than the DE many expected Pittsburgh to take by the third round.

As an OLB in the Steelers’ 3-4 scheme, though, he is very athletic, and has strong instincts as a pass rusher and in coverage.

OG/C Jeremy Zuttah was a guy the Steelers had their eyes on, but he went to Tampa Bay six picks earlier.

Next up: The Steelers select in the fourth round, No. 123 overall.

I eagerly texted SteelerBro when Dallas was on the clock at No. 22. Between that, and IMing JJ Cooper for our Roundtable discussion, I was the paradigm of technological efficiency.

I was the modern man. I used to be the type who would just as soon not have a phone, now, I was communicating with three people eletronically, and three others at my buddy Tim’s place.

Forced to use our newest media of technology, it dawned on me the Steelers had become something new Saturday at the NFL Draft.

The thing I told SteelerBro was the same thing I was blathering excitedly to my friends.

“The Steelers NEVER have That Guy fall to them!! NEVER!”

Illinois RB Rashard Mendenhall was never considered an option, because he was supposed to be long gone before the Steelers got on the clock. I’m certain the Mock Draft scenario drawn up by the Steelers staff that had Mendenhall on the board at No. 23 was something like “If somehow he falls, unless a guy with the last name of Long or Gholston somehow falls, he’s our guy.”

That Guy, Mendenhall in Saturday’s example, never falls.

Granted, Pittsburgh has other areas of need. Going into the start of the third round, they haven’t addressed the offensive line, which was the percieved problem going into the draft. They defensive line needs help as well. But frankly, you cannot pass on the 225-pounder with 4.45 speed, plus-receiving skills and shifty moves, especially when last year’s running back, Willie Parker, had an outside shot at 400 carries on the season before breaking his leg in Week 16.

And Limas Sweed! A 6-foot-4 wide receiver with above average speed, incredible athleticism, a great attitude and a Texas lineage. And, here are his bio notes as provided by Scout.com:

“…active in (the University of Texas’s) community service program … is part of a group of Longhorns that regularly visits patients at the Austin Children’s Hospital … majoring in youth and community studies with a minor in business … a prep honor roll student … served as a student mentor in high school … lists basketball, riding horses and playing video games among his hobbies.

A wrist injury slowed him down his senior year at Texas, likely a reason he slid a little bit, but more accurately, he slid because every wide receiver slid Saturday. After Malcolm Kelly of Oklahoma blamed the school for his 4.68 40-time (he ran on the same surface Vikings RB Adrian Peterson did when he cracked off a 4.38 in 2007), and James Hardy has a few question marks, the Steelers positioned themselves beautifully to select a receiver just as physical, quick, fast and sure-handed as any other in this draft.

With Nate Washington under a one-year contract, not only does Sweed not have to step in and fill an immediate role (like Cincinnati’s Jerome Simpson, a little known receiver from even lesser known Coastal Carolina, who has to fill in for Chris Henry, possibly even Chad Johnson). Sweed can be used in spots, and look for a third WR role next season.

What’s better, the Steelers now have these weapons to provide several different looks at the opposing defenses that didn’t flinch when the Steelers went into 2-TE max-protect offensive formations.

Mendenhall has great receiving skills, and perhaps the Steelers can actually get that screen pass down; ya know, the play that hasn’t worked for the Steelers since 2001?

They now have a four-receiver set with a huge WR. They already have a great 2-TE passing formation. They can use Mendenhall with Parker in the backfield with two TEs, three WRs, and run or pass out of it.

This makes offensive lines better.

Let’s not forget, either, the Steelers brought in C Justin Hartwig to push Mahan The Revolving Door out of the rotation.

I believe Wilson said this at one point last year, but Mahan had a terrible habit of making every other player along the line worse. As Sun Tzu says in The Art of War, if you lose the middle, the ends will not hold.

Perhaps that’s a little deep for this early in the morning, and for this subject, but I’m pretty stoked about this.

Like I said in Cooper’s Roundtable, Mendenhall was the best player available. More importantly, there was not an offensive or defensive lineman available worthy of the 23rd overall pick. Mendenhall is a top 12 talent.

Well played, Steelers. Well played. You haven’t had a player of this caliber fall into your lap in a very long time, let alone two of them.

Thanks to J.J. Cooper of AOL Fanhouse for putting this together. Me doing these roundtables with J.J. and Ryan Wilson of FanHouse and Heels, Sox and Steelers is like Daughtry touring with Led Zeppelin and Metallica. It’s fun being the assistant quality control coach to their GM and head coach.

Anyway, here it is:
Thanks to the miracle that is the Internet, JJ Cooper (of FanHouse), Ryan Wilson (of FanHouse and Heels, Sox and Steelers) and Neal Coolong (of DieHard Steel) were able to spout off to each other about the Steelers’ first-round pick, Rashard Mendenhall.

JJ Cooper: Ughh overall the NFL Network coverage is good, but Brian Billick being there is bad

Ryan Wilson: He is dreadful. i mean, the guy’s found the cure for insomnia.

JJ: Mike Mayock keeps picking every pick right

Ryan: that guy’s a freaking genius.

JJ: (after Gosder Cherlius goes to the Lions): well…it’s Otah or Uh-Oh

Ryan: I don’t think i’ll feel very good about that.

JJ: I think trading down sounds great

Ryan: true that.

Ryan: (as the Steelers go on the clock) What do you think, mendenhall? If so, how long until FWP starts crying like Tommy Maddox in ‘04?

Neal Coolong: (as the Steelers go on the clock, at the same time as Wilson): Thomas or Mendenhall??It’s gonna be the one Dallas doesn’t take!

Cooper: Balmer or Thomas. No Mendenhall — he’s another Willie Parker

Neal: He’s bigger, though.

JJ: But he’s not a true power back. The anticipation is killing me.

As the pick is announced.
JJ: I’m sick. Well sick may be a little strong, but we need an OG…we need a C…we need a DE…we need a S…we need a CB….RB is a luxury.. And we have a back on our roster right now that rushed for 1,500+yards two years ago.

Ryan: i don’t know jack about him, any reason you hate him other than he’s a RB?

JJ: He’s a Big 10 back

Ryan: Oh, right.  ugh.
JJ: Mendenhall seems like a good value pick, but he doesn’t fit our needs

Ryan: yeah. i hate the pick on principle, but i can’t get too worked up about it considering how everything else played out in front of them.

Neal: He’s by far the best player on the board. That same back you’re talking about had 321 carries before he broke his leg with two games left.He’s the best player available, and there’s no way he should have fallen that far

JJ: True…but there is depth at RB in this draft. A second or third round pick would be able to step in and be a solid No. 2 RB.Now you have controversy–who’s the No. 1 back….you have them competing for carries

Neal: I WANT them competing for carries! That means one of them doesn’t have to get their leg broken on the second carry of the game (edit: I was trying to provide a dramatic example of what happens when a back is given the ball 25 times a game over the course of the season)

Ryan: so what’s worse: mendenhall or timmons? i’m going with timmons because there were options.

JJ: Mendenhall’s a better player so I’ll say Timmons

Ryan: I’m with you; Timmons was a reach. I don’t care what Tomlin says. Mendenhall, I mean, what the hell are you going to do? Plus, it looks like WRs will be around forever now.

JJ: But now we have a need that will go unfilled

Ryan: If nothing else, FWP can stay away from the Curse of 370.

Yeah, we knew that. We also know Chris Long is going to be the Rams pick at No. 2.

Since we’ve known since Tuesday Jake Long was going to be Miami’s pick, could they at least have given him a uniform number, and a jersey that might possibly fit him? The jersey he was holding when posing with the Commish wouldn’t have fit Ryan Seacrest.

Hugo Guzman of Real Football 365 is live-blogging the whole effin’ thing, so you should definitely check it out.

Ok, so…yeah! It’s been a while! My apologies, I’ve been working quite a bit for Real Football 365 recently, as well as a few SEO projects, and that whole wedding thing…probably not so much. Hey, there’s a reason I’m not getting married during the football season. Just like if the chips stick together, it’s one nacho, the Draft is part of the football season.

I’ll be tossing out posts here and there, so feel free to send an email, ncoolong@gmail.com

As of 1:30 p.m. CT, Jake Long is No. 1, Chris Long is No. 2 to the Rams, so that means Matt Ryan is heading to Atlanta, and McFadden is going to Oakland.

Emails from Jim Wexell and J.J. Cooper brought up some interesting points:

Wexell says to check out Dallas Morning News’ Rick Gosselin’s mock draft: LB Jerod Mayo is an interesting pick.

Cooper says he’d be pumped about G/T Branden Albert coming to town, but, like myself, would like to trade out of the first round if he isn’t there.