Stillers Strike Gold in Day 1 of Draft

 

(This article was published the evening of Day 1 of the draft, but technical glitches caused this article to fall off the database.  We re-upload it here for your reading enjoyment.)

 

Thanks to a terrific amount of sheer luck, the Stiller struck gold -- pure gold -- in Day 1 of the 2008 draft, nabbing RB Rashard Mendenhall in round 1 and WR Limas Sweed in Round 2 of the 2-round “Day 1” event. 

 

GM Kevin Colbert will collect the accolades, but in all reality all he did was select the best football player available in a manner as easy as shooting fish in a barrel.   To his credit, Colbert adhered to the best football player available and didn’t make the ugly mistake of the “rabid reach” just to fill a need, which was the very mistake that brought us Troy Edwards, Jamain Stephens, and other similar sluggos. 

Not since Rod Woodson fell into their lap in the late 80’s, or since Benji Roethlsberger slipped down to their selection in 2004, have the Stillers ever had this kind of outrageous good fortune on Day 1 of the draft.  

 

Our esteemed draft guru here at Stillers.com, Steel Haven, had Mendenhall very deservedly going in the 9th pick of the draft.  For Mendenhall to still be on the board at #23 was manna from heaven.  

 

Haven had Sweed, a rangy 6-4”, 215 lb. WR from Texas, going in the 29th pick of the draft.   Again, for The Sweede to still be on the board when the Stiller selected deep in Round 2 was outrageous good fortune.  

 

Sure, there are other needs to be filled.  There always are.  Fact is, on an NFL roster comprised of 53 players, there are always needs.   The needs outnumber the available draft picks.   Colbert got the best football players available -- and then some -- with his 2 first-day picks.

 

Mendenhall gives the offense an enormous number of options.   Lightening fast and quick, he’ll give Parker plenty of relief and offers more plowing ability.  The Stillers can even put both men onto the field in a split-back formation, giving defenses fits in terms of mismatches in routes out of the backfield or off of motion.   Mendenhall can catch the ball quite ably and will be a far better backup than what the Stillers got out of Davenport last season.  A year or 2 down the road, Mendenhall could very well supplant Parker as the starter. 

 

Unlike Plaxico Burress’s rookie season, Sweed isn’t coming into a desperate situation where he’s got to produce huge numbers right from jump street.   He won’t start, and he’ll learn his craft from one of the NFL’s best technicians and noted preparation guru, Hines Ward.  Sweed will work in the #3 or #4 WR spot, and with his size and athleticism, will probably work on the outside with Nate, which will allow Ward and Holmes -- the 2 best RAC runners on the team -- to work the inside slot routes.  Sweed’s arrival means that Willie Peid, who in the pros has peid the bed more often than a toddler, will be, at best, the #5 WR or could very well be cut come August. 

 

With this dangerous 4-WR combination, along with Heath Miller, this passing offense will be lights out.   Add in a better, more balanced running game, and you can’t help but be enthralled about this offense.  

 

Colbert’s Achilles heel in the draft, which we’ve long highlighted here at Stillers.com, has been Day 2 of the draft, where he has struggled like a banshee.   Colbert has 4 picks on Day 2, and he can work in some needs-based analysis along with acquiring good football players.   He’ll likely be targeting an OT, DE, LB, and DB.   If he has just half as good of a day as he did on Day 1, it should be a solid haul.  

 

(Still Mill and Stillers.com -- when it comes to the analysis of the Pittsburgh Stillers, no one else comes close….)