The Steelers draft class of 2008 wasn’t very successful, but they have made a life after football.
The Steelers have had a lot of success by building their team through the draft. It is what makes this franchise so consistent throughout the years of operation in Pittsburgh. Even though they are able to find more talent in the draft more often than not, there are still some draft classes that were bad.
The 2008 class of rookies were not the best when you look back on their careers. These players either barely contributed to the team or didn’t play too long in the NFL. Not every pick can be the next diamond in the rough, but for this class, there weren’t any diamonds found that day.
The Steelers went into this draft with hopes of building onto an already talented roster. Loading up more ammunition to compete for another Super Bowl, which they would later accomplish by winning Super Bowl 43. This draft didn’t help a ton in that essence, but some of them did secure a ring.
The team had seven picks in this event back in 2008. They carried a first-round pick, second, third, fourth, fifth, and two sixth-round selections. They had some decent draft capital, but they spent all their value on players that wouldn’t work out for the most part.
Getting to know the people behind the facemasks is something that people never really think of as fans. There is a life after football no matter how someone’s career turns out in the NFL. Each one of these players had their shot with the Steelers before they had to either move onto another team or focus on their life after football.
1.23: Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illinois
Rashard Mendenhall was the first-round selection by the Steelers as they continued to look for a Willie Parker replacement. They were going by a run-by-committee approach to that point and wanted a featured back. He was a promising young back coming to Pittsburgh after a breakout year before entering the draft.
He started his career off slowly as constant injuries nagged his rookie season away. He did not attribute much to the offense and found himself on the sideline more times than he would like. It took some time to adjust to the NFL, but he finally caught on.
His next three seasons showed promise as he started putting up some nice numbers for the Steelers. He was a scrutinized player for most of his career, especially after he fumbled in a Super Bowl loss to the Green Bay Packers. After that, injuries and fumbles started to become a problem and Mendenhall was eventually in free agency.
He played one season with the Arizona Cardinals, where he didn’t do anything special. Mendenhall would retire young and pursue his ambitions of becoming a successful writer. He would make it as a writer on the HBO show, Ballers, but he looks to continue in that career path into the future.
2.53: Limas Sweed, WR, Texas
Limas Sweed was drafted by the Steelers in the second round after a storied collegiate career in Texas. He won a National Championship there and made some big plays for them in the process. He was coming off an injury heading into the draft and that caused him to slip.
Unfortunately for this player and the team, the positive outlooks that many praised for this pick did not work out. Sweed was not able to catch the football during his time in the NFL and that will cause any player trying to play receiver to be out of the league sooner rather than later. He was involved in a youth movement in Pittsburgh, but he couldn’t stick around long enough to see it come to fruition.
He would be cut by the Steelers after just two years with the team and labeled a draft bust. He would go onto the Canadian league with hopes of catching on there. He would bounce around over three years and finally fizzled out his professional career.
This former receiver can now be found coaching football at Chapa Middle School in the Austin, Texas area. He is also a teacher at the school as he tries to mentor the kids there. He is still in football shape, but his professional dreams are long gone as he focuses on his career in teaching and as a coach.
3.88: Bruce Davis, EDGE, UCLA
Bruce Davis was a highly productive player as a defensive end coming out of college. He would be picked by the Steelers and change his position to outside linebacker. He would only stick with the team for a short time as he got cut after one year.
He became a journeyman for the remainder of his career, which lasted seven years. His professional resume has a good number of teams listed on it. He bounced from Pittsburgh to the Patriots, Broncos, 49ers, Raiders, Bengals, and 49ers again. He would then go onto the Canadian league with hopes of keeping his playing days alive.
His professional career would end soon after going to Canada. Davis is now into the coaching world as he focuses on draft prospects. He helps coach players going into the draft in southern California.
4.130: Tony Hills, OT, Texas
Tony Hills was a National Champions coming out of Texas and he had hope of becoming a long-lasting NFL player. He got drafted in the fourth round by the Steelers and the need for offensive line help was there for the club. They wanted to rebuild it and strengthen the unit that would protect Ben Roethlisberger.
This tackle was not able to be the solution to Pittsburgh’s offensive line woes and he would depart the team after a couple of seasons. Hills would go on to have the longest pro career out of any draft selection by the black and gold in the 2008 class. He retired after the 2017 season after playing for 11 franchises.
5.156: Dennis Dixon, QB, Oregon
Dennis Dixon was drafted in the fifth round by the Steelers after a successful career at Oregon. He was one of the most electric quarterbacks in college football until an injury put all of that to a halt. He would lose some of his speed and that affected his game.
He did start a few games for Pittsburgh when injuries started to pile up for the position. He would be the third-string guy for the black and gold for around four seasons before he moved elsewhere. Dixon would stick around in the NFL for another three years after leaving the Steel City.
This quarterback would move onto the Ravens, Eagles, Bills, and Cardinals before he hung up his cleats for good. It is a shame that the injury he sustained occurred. It really took away his full abilities for what could’ve been a good career.
Now, this former player is keeping his connection to sports alive through Nike and the Jordan brand. He worked for Nike for a handful of years before he made to move to Jordan. He is currently located in California where he works for the Jordan brand. He has made a nice career for himself after football and that is a lot harder of a transition than some might think.
6.188: Mike Humpal, LB, Iowa
Mike Humpal was a late-round selection by the Steelers as they tried to bring some competition into that room. He would get injured early into his rookie year and was released from the team. He would sit on injured reserve only to never come back.
His NFL career was over before it ever really started. Sometimes players, especially those selected in the later rounds, just don’t pan out. Some prospects don’t have what you need to make it in the NFL. Humpal is currently in Iowa where he owns and runs a chiropractor practice.
6.194: Ryan Mundy, S, West Virginia
Ryan Mundy was a local guy that was drafted by the Steelers. He graduated from Woodland Hills High School before he went to college at West Virginia. It was nice to have that hometown feel, but this player is only known for one major gaff.
Mundy had a decent career considering where he was selected in the draft process. He played out his entire rookie contract of four years with the Steelers before he left in free agency. He is mostly known for the infamous Tim Tebow playoff loss against the Denver Broncos.
After he left the black and gold, he joined two other clubs before his career ended. He would play with the New York Giants and the Chicago Bears over the next three seasons before retirement. He was a below-average starting safety that played special teams as well.
This Steelers player now has entered the entrepreneurial side of the world. He has invested in a bunch of different things before he started his own company. He created Ailkeme, which is a platform for mental health and wellness that has a focus for Black communities.
The Steelers had some bad draft classes in their history, but 2008 was one of the worst. It barely produced any talent and kept away from any long-term answers for starting positions.