Steelers football blog

Steelers sign picks Hills, Dixon and Davis

The Steelers came to terms with three of their seven draft picks Monday, signing fourth-round selection Tony Hills, an offensive tackle from Texas, and reaching agreements with fifth-round choice Dennis Dixon, a quarterback from Oregon, and third-rounder Bruce Davis, a defensive end at UCLA who will be converted to outside linebacker.

Davis, 6-foot-3, 252 pounds, agreed last night to a three-year deal that includes a $506,000 signing bonus. Earlier in the day, Hills (6-5, 304) received a signing bonus of $304,500. Dixon (6-3, 195) agreed to a $130,000 signing bonus. Continue

Steelers' Mendenhall brings a ton of potential

He is fast, powerful and far from a finished product. He is described as humble but confident enough to compare his running style to that of a future Pro Football Hall of Famer. He is well-rounded -- he writes poetry and music in his spare time -- and is considered such a solid citizen that occasional moodiness is apparently the closest thing Rashard Mendenhall has to a character flaw. "Yeah," Walter Mendenhall, Rashard's older brother, said late week, "sometimes he likes his space." Continue

Steelers finally get personal look at Mendenhall

Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians will get his first up-close and personal look at running back Rashard Mendenhall today when the Steelers open minicamp. He can only hope the Steelers' first-round draft pick looks as good in person as he does on tape. Arians probably hasn't stopped smiling since the Steelers took Mendenhall with the 23rd overall pick of the draft this past Saturday and then selected wide receiver Limas Sweed in the second round. Continue

Dynamic Dixon intrigues Steelers

He piled up 368 yards of total offense and accounted for four touchdowns. He led Oregon to a 39-7 shellacking of Michigan in front of more than 100,000 fans as well as a national TV audience.

Dennis Dixon thrust himself into the Heisman Trophy race with that performance last September -- and into the consciousness of Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert. "The first thing I thought about was Vince Young," said Colbert, who saw Dixon play extensively for the first time against Michigan. "He was winning that game by himself." Continue

Mundy to join Steelers

As a youngster, Ryan Mundy played for a Pee Wee Football team called the West Pittsburgh Steelers. And to hear him reflect on those carefree days, it's hard to tell what was more fun for him: playing in the games or donning his No. 34 jersey and football pants on autumn Sundays and collecting donations outside of Three Rivers Stadium before the, uh, other Steelers games.

"Those are very good memories I have of my childhood," Mundy said.More than a decade later, Mundy will try to complete the circle that started when he and his pint-sized teammates hit up tailgaters for extra change and collected one trophy after another. Continue

Steelers focus on 'D' on Day 2

A pass-rusher that's expected to provide depth at outside linebacker, an offensive tackle that could be the eventual successor to Marvel Smith and a local kid that will push for a roster spot were among the five players the Steelers selected Sunday.

By the end of the two-day NFL Draft, the Steelers were more than happy with their haul, even though it didn't include a much-needed defensive end. "It broke pretty well for us. We didn't feel we reached for any positions," director of football operations Kevin Colbert said. "I would have loved to get a player at every spot, but really, that's unrealistic. Are there defensive linemen available in free agency? We hope so." Continue

Surprised Steelers find offense in draft

Coaches, scouts and director of football operations Kevin Colbert talked through every scenario they thought might happen before the Steelers picked in the first round of the NFL Draft. One transpired that they didn't anticipate, and when Rashard Mendenhall fell to the 23rd overall pick Saturday, the Steelers were happy to snatch up the Illinois running back. Ecstatic, actually, is more like it. Mendenhall is the first running back the Steelers have taken in the first round since 1989.

The Steelers snagged a tall wide receiver with their second-round pick when they selected Texas' Limas Sweed, another player they never thought would last as long in the draft as he did.The Steelers' haul on the first day of the draft turned out to be a somewhat surprising one considering the needs they have elsewhere. Continue

Steelers take Illinois running back Mendenhall

The Steelers selected Illinois junior running back Rashard Mendenhall with their first-round pick (23rd overall) in today's NFL draft. The 5-foot-10, 215-pound Mendenhall, who player for former Steelers special teams coach Ron Zook at Illinois, is the first running back taken by the Steelers with their first-round pick since Tim Worley in 1989.

Mendenhall, the Big Ten Player of the Year, rushed for 1,681 yards and 17 touchdowns on 262 carries last season. The Steelers' next scheduled pick is 53rd overall, in the second round. The first two rounds will be held on Saturday. Rounds three through six begin at 10 a.m. Sunday. Continue

Steelers have many options with 23rd pick

When Tennessee linebacker Jerod Mayo visited the Steelers in late March, he and coach Mike Tomlin chatted about more than just football since the two hail from Virginia's Tidewater region. "We talked about that for an hour," Mayo said, "so, I definitely feel a connection." The two could have another connection after today.

Mayo appears to be one of the players the Steelers are strongly considering taking with their first-round pick in the NFL Draft. The question is, will the 6-foot-1, 242-pound tackling machine still be available when the Steelers make the 23rd overall pick -- that is assuming they don't trade down for extra picks -- some time tonight? Continue

Late-round gems elude Steelers

Brett Keisel has started 33 consecutive games at defensive end for the Steelers. Also notable about Keisel, particularly at this time of year: He lasted until late in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft. The fourth through seventh rounds of the draft, which will be held this weekend, may not garner nearly as much attention as the first three rounds, but quality can be found among the quantity in them. Continue