2009 Steelers draft: Breaking down the goods

Just like that, another draft has come and gone. This year’s version didn’t have all of the big names of the 2008 version for the Steelers, but when you sit down and look at the total package they brought in over the weekend, there’s reason to feel pretty good about how they did.

ROUND ONE

Ziggy Hood – DT (Missouri)

We already broke down the selection of Hood in minor detail on Saturday. Everybody will just look at this pick and say “meh” while the experts will praise the selections of flashy guys like Percy Harvin and Rey Maualuga. The truth is that superstars rarely win Super Bowls, it’s hard working guys like Ziggy Hood who win championships.

Check our original post for highlights and such.

ROUND THREE

Kraig Urbik – OL (Wisconsin)

The Steelers used this pick to address their really obvious need – offensive line. Urbik is as big as they come at 6’6″ and a whopping 332 pounds. Rumor has it that the Stees may try to move him to center. Even if he stays at guard, the Steelers got a kid who was known as the hardest working guy on the Badgers and played in a very physical system. Good all around.

Mike Wallace – WR (Ole Miss)

Here is your new Nate Washington and some good competition for Limas Sweed. Wallace made a name for himself as a deep threat in college and has some kick return skills as well. Rivals says he is very raw and needs to work on blocking, but I think the Steelers have a guy who can help show the way. A legit kick returner would be nice so hopefully Wallace can finally be the guy to fill that gap.

Keenan Lewis – CB (Oregon State)

We forgot to put Lewis in here during our first draft, so that’s a great sign for his career prospects. He’s known as a big, physical corner that the Steelers compared to Ike Taylor. (Stone hands hopefully not included.) He’s actually high school teammates and best friends with Wallace, which is a pretty sweet story. Just imagining them both being picked by the same NFL team in the same round is enough to bring a smile to their face. Sappy stories aside, Lewis and the signing of Keiwan Ratliff should make Bryant McFadden expendable. It seems like we at least have serviceable replacements in the secondary now and hopefully Lewis can develop into something even better.

ROUND FIVE

Joe Burnett – DB (UCF)

With the Steelers already addressing both lines, cornerback had to be high on their list at this point. He is small-ish, but could end up helping out a lot in nickel packages. Having a lot of depth in the secondary never hurts.

Frank Summers – RB (UNLV)

Out of all the guys in the draft, Frank Summers and AQ Shipley were the two that I most wanted. That is no stretch. Yinzers like me have wanted Bus II for a long time. It was even more painful this year watching Pittsburgh struggle mightily in short yardage. So when you see the Steelers select a 5’10”, 230 pound running back with great hands and a nickname of “The Tank”, you get very excited. No way that Summers ever becomes a feature back, but he could be great for the Steelers in certain spots. (Or even as a power fullback!)

Check out Summers in high school:

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Check out Summers at UNLV:

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ROUND SIX

Ra’Shon Harris – DT (Oregon)

He’s huge at 6’5″, but is said to lack some quickness. That’s about all we could find. Ouch.

ROUND SEVEN

AQ Shipley – OL (Penn State)

After years and years of begging the Steelers to draft a PSU guy, they finally did. Shipley played high school ball at Moon so it’s a safe bet he’s been a Steelers fan all of his life. The knock on Ship is that his arms are only 30 inches long. I’ve seen every PSU football game for years and years and I can honestly say I’ve never once seen Shipley’s arm length become an issue, but you know how those scouts are. Shipley is known as an “overachiever” because he’s not a freak athlete with great size, but shows up to play hard every game. Maybe it’s just me, but I’d rather have a guy like that than a superior athlete with a bad attitude.

Shipley might never pan out or he could become an elite center. But you can be sure that he’ll work his tail off and be a great guy to have around the team.

David Johnson – TE (Arkansas State)

Some sites have Johnson listed as a hybrid FB/TE, but there’s not a whole lot out there about him. He may have trouble making the team and the same could be said about the last two or three of the Steelers picks.

Overall, it seemed like a good weekend. Evaluating drafts right now is probably the dumbest possible choice, but on paper, it looks like the Steelers approached this draft in the right way.

It was definitely a meat and potatos draft class for Pittsburgh and that is a good thing. If they can get solid contribution from the big guys on the lines, 2009 will go down as a well-done draft by Kevin Colbert.

And don’t forget that a healthy Rashard Mendenhall should be in the fold again so it will feel like the Steelers had a pair of first rounders this year.

What are your thoughts on the Steelers 2009 draft class? Did the address their weaknesses? Was their a player they shouldn’t have passed on?