Pittsburgh Steelers 2008 NFL Re-Draft
The 2008 draft class for the Pittsburgh Steelers did not pan out like the front office had hoped. In 2013 there were no remaining players on the roster from the 2008 class. Hence, the reason I want to re-draft this class. The 2008 class was one of the worst in recent memory. It is filled with busts and players who never reached their full potential. The re-drafted players the Steelers could have selected are heading into their seventh year in the league, in some cases their prime.
One rule. I’m going to pick a player from the same position on the re-draft. For example, I will not be selecting Rashard Mendenhall again but I will select a running back who was available at pick 23 in the first round and before the Steelers second round pick.
Round 1, Pick 23
Original Pick: Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illinois
Re-Draft Pick: Matt Forte, RB, Tulane
This one is a no-brainer. Mendenhall has already retired at the age of 26. He only recorded 1,000 yards once and his fumble in Super Bowl XLV still haunts me. Looking back, picking Forte is the obvious choice. He has over 1,000 rushing yards four times in his six seasons. The two seasons he didn’t manage to crack 1,000 yards, he ran for 929 yards and 997 yards. He has been a very durable back for DA Bears, missing only five games in his career. He’s 28 now but last season was arguably his best, combining for 1,933 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Round 2, Pick 53
Original Pick: Limas Sweed, WR, Texas
Re-Draft Pick: Harry Douglas, WR, Louisville
The Steelers could have forfeited this pick and it would have been a better result than Limas. The wide receivers they could have chosen aren’t exactly the best in the NFL at this point, but they have more than seven career receptions. I picked Harry Douglas mostly due to his breakout season last year when Julio Jones got injured. He caught 85 balls for 1,057 yards. Those numbers are far and away the best of his career.
Round 3, Pick 88
Original Pick: Bruce Davis, OLB, UCLA
Re-Draft Pick: Cliff Avril, DE, Purdue
I’m breaking my own rules a little bit on this pick, but there really wasn’t a lot to choose from at the linebacker position. Plus an outside linebacker in Dick LeBeau’s system is primarily a pass rusher so Avril could have fit that role. Avril has 47.5 sacks in his career for the Lions and Seahawks. That’s a lot more than Bruce Davis had. In fact, Davis only played in 15 career games, so similar to Limas Sweed, anybody would have been better than Davis.
Round 4, Pick 130
Original Pick: Tony Hills, OT, Texas
Re-Draft Pick: Josh Sitton, OG, Central Florida
Sitton was drafted as a tackle but has since moved to the guard position. Therefore I’m drafting the one-time pro bowler over Tony Hills who only appeared in four games for the Steelers. Sitton has started 80 games in his career, including four seasons starting all 16 for the Packers. A solid, never injured guard is something the Steelers definitely needed for the past few seasons.
Round 5, Pick 156
Original Pick: Dennis Dixon, QB, Oregon
Re-Draft Pick: Dennis Dixon, QB, Oregon
The first draft pick that I’ll actually take again comes all the way in the fifth round. Dennis Dixon was a solid back-up for a few years. He only started three games for the Steelers but won two of those. His loss was in overtime to the Ravens filling in for an injured Big Ben. The Steelers were not in desperate need of a quarterback in 2008, so what they got out of Dixon was a decent selection after his solid career at Oregon.
Round 6, Pick 188
Original Pick: Mike Humpal, LB, Iowa
Re-Draft Pick: Wesley Woodyard, LB, Kentucky
Again, I’m somewhat breaking my own rule taking a player that went undrafted, but no linebackers were selected between the Humpal pick at 188 and Ryan Mundy at 194. Humpal never appeared in an NFL game. Woodyard on the other hand has been the Broncos primary starter for the past two seasons, recording seven sacks and four interceptions. Not bad for a player who didn’t even get selected.
Round 6, Pick 194
Original Pick: Ryan Mundy, FS, West Virginia
Re-Draft Pick: Ryan Mundy, FS, West Virginia
For a sixth round pick Mundy turned out to be a pretty solid pick for the Steelers. He only started five games for the Steelers, but he played in 64 games. Mundy signed a contract with the New York Giants last year and he started ten games in 2013. Playing behind Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark didn’t help his chances of becoming a full time starter in Pittsburgh. He was reliable through and based on the safeties taken after him this was the right selection for the Steelers.
What do you think Steelers Nation? Should the Steelers have taken different players than I just mentioned?