The Steelers have acquired 28-year old CB Bryant McFadden from the Cardinals for a 5th round pick.  McFadden played in all 16 games for the Cardinals last season and he had 69 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and he defensed 15 passes.  He has played in 67 games (51 with the Steelers) in his NFL career in which he has 204 tackles, he has defensed 47 passes, has 2 sacks, forced 1 fumble and he has 7 interceptions (1 returned for a TD).  The Steelers have to be ecstatic to get McFadden back for 2010 as their corners stunk it up last season.

The Steelers have picked WR/PR Emmanuel Sanders with the 82nd overall pick (3rd round) of the NFL Draft.  Sanders is a little guy at 5’10″, 182 pounds but he’s lightning quick running a 4.47 40.  Sanders played in 13 games (all starts) at SMU last season and he caught 98 passes for 1,339 yards (13.7 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  He played in 47 games (39 starts) in his four years at SMU and he caught 285 passes for 3,791 yards (13.3 avg) with 34 TD grabs.  Sanders probably projects out to be a #3 or #4 WR in the NFL but he should help out the Steelers on special teams also which gives him more value as he returned punts in college.

The Steelers picked OLB/DE Jason Worilds out of Virginia Tech in the second round (52nd pick) of the NFL Draft.  Worilds is probably too small to be an end in the NFL unless he puts on some weight.  But, he is the classic Steelers’ type of player as he is big and fast standing at 6’0″, 260 pounds and he runs a 4.7 40.  He played in 13 games (all starts) at Virginia Tech last season and he made 49 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, had 4.5 sacks and he broke up 1 pass.  Worilds played in 41 games (25 starts) in his four years at Va. Tech and he finished up with 132 tackles, 34 tackles for a loss, 15 sacks and he broke up 2 passes.  Worilds will have to adjust to playing without a hand on the ground and that could take some time.  It was little shock to see the Steelers draft a player with the skill set of Worilds in the second round.

The Steelers have selected center Maurkice Pouncey out of Florida with the 18th pick of the first round of the NFL Draft.  Pouncey played in 14 games (all starts) with the Gators last season.  The Steelers probably were upset when the Niners selected guard Mike Iupati at #17.  That is probably the reason for the Pouncey pick as he then became the best interior lineman with Iupati off the board.  Pouncey played 11 games at right guard for Florida in 2007 so he has versatility to play wherever the Steelers need him inside.  Pouncey played in 41 games (39 starts) in his three years with Florida.  He is a big, strong guy at 6’4″, 315 pounds and he’s nasty so he should fit in well with the Steelers who need help on the interior of the O-Line.

The Steelers have been busy this off-season as they have signed 5 free agents and traded for QB Byron Leftwich.  Still, the Steelers have a lot of holes that need filled and they hope to fix some of them up this weekend in the NFL Draft.  The Steelers have 3 of the top 82 picks in the draft and they have 11 overall picks with at least one in every round.  That gives them plenty of ammo to move up if there is someone they really want still on the board.  They could even have more picks if they trade disgruntled QB Ben Roethlisberger.  The Steelers have needs at OT, OG, NT, CB, DE and S so they have a lot of work to do before the 2010 season starts.  OT Anthony Davis, OT Bruce Campbell, OG Mike Iupati, DE Brandon Graham, S Taylor Mays and CBs Perrish Cox & Patrick Robinson all are likely being targeted by the Steelers in the first round of the draft.

PROJECTED FIRST ROUND PICK:  Mike Iupati, G, Idaho

The NFL came down hard on 28-year old starting QB Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers.  He will be suspended for the first six games of the NFL season due to him tarnishing the league’s image in his little escapade in Georgia.  Roethlisberger could get his suspension cut to four games if he undergoes comprehensive behavioral evaluation and he behaves himself.  He can’t practice with the Steelers until the doctors clear him.  This is a huge blow to the Steelers as Roethlisberger has led them to 2 Super Bowl Championships in his six years with the team.  He played in 15 games for the Steelers last season and he completed 337 of 506 passes (66.6%) for 4,328 yards with 26 TD passes and 12 INTs (100.5 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 40 times for 82 yards (2.1 ypc) with 2 TD runs last season.  I have a feeling that Roethlisberger has played his last game with the Pittsburgh Steelers due to the backlash of fans in Pittsburgh who want him out.  I think he is going to get traded this weekend.  That is not without risk though as the alternatives the Steelers have on the current roster are not pretty.  Byron Leftwich, Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon are all backup QBs with very little upside.  If the Steelers go the trade route they will be giving away a franchise QB for pennies on a dollar.

The Steelers have acquired 30-year old QB Byron Leftwich from the Buccaneers for a 7th round pick in this weekend’s NFL Draft.  Leftwich played in 5 games for the Steelers back in 2008 so he will likely have no problem remembering the playbook.  Leftwich played in 3 games for the Buccaneers last season in which he completed 58 of 107 passes (54.2%) for 594 yards with 4 TD passes and 3 INTs (71.2 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 6 times for 6 yards (1.0 ypc) last season.  He has now played in 57 games in his NFL career in which he has completed 900 of 1,545 passes (58.3%) for 10,218 yards with 58 TD passes and 41 INTs (79.6 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 136 times for 384 yards (2.8 ypc) with 9 TD runs in his NFL career.  This was a good move for whatever reason the Steelers had for making it.  With Ben Roethlisberger’s suspension being announced tomorrow, Leftwich’s acquistion could signal that it’s a long suspension.  The Steelers could also be considering moving Roethlisberger in a trade this weekend.

The Steelers have been in the news for all of the wrong things this off-season.  First you have the QB…..Ben Roethlisberger and his problems off the field with the ladies.  He is going to be suspended by the NFL likely coming down sometime this week for essentially being a A-hole!  He might not even be a Pittsburgh Steeler after this weekend as some team might make a trade offer that the Steelers can’t resist.  The Steelers also traded WR Santonio Holmes to the Jets for a lousy fifth round pick in 2010.  That is downright stupid.  I had a feeling the Steelers were up to something when they signed Antwaan Randle El and Arnaz Battle so early in free agency but now it all makes sense.  The Steelers also signed OT Jonathan Scott but it’s up in the air as to whether he will be a starter or not.  Safety Will Allen and linebacker Larry Foote has also been signed but they are pretty much backup material.  It will be interesting to see what the Steelers do this weekend.

Now the signings of Antwaan Randle El and Arnaz Battle make sense as they will need to step up along with 2nd year WR Mike Wallace.  Wallace will likely step into the starting lineup for the Steelers in 2010.  He played in all 16 games for the Steelers as a rookie and he caught 39 passes for 756 yards (19.4 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 6 times for 48 yards (8.0 ypc) last season.  It will be interesting to see how well Wallace gets open against starting CBs instead of nickel and dime backs.  He will have to step up his game to succeed.  Randle El will likely take over his old role as the #3 WR with the Steelers.  He played in all 16 games for the Redskins last season in which he caught 50 passes for 530 yards (10.6 avg) without a TD grab.  It will be interesting to watch the Steelers’ WRs in 2010 as the corps got a lot weaker overnight.

The Steelers have sent 26-year old former Super Bowl MVP WR Santonio Holmes to the Jets for a 5th round pick in 2010 (#151 overall).  Holmes played in all 16 games for the Steelers last season in which he caught 79 passes for 1,248 yards (15.8 avg) with 15 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 6 yards (2.0 ypc) last season.  Holmes played in 60 games in his 4 years with the Steelers catching 235 passes for 3,835 yards (16.3 avg) with 20 TD grabs and he also carried the ball 11 times for 45 yards (4.1 ypc).  Holmes also returned 62 punts for 496 yards (8.0 avg) with 1 TD return and he has also returned 18 kickoffs for 436 yards (24.2 avg) for the Steelers.  I commend the Steelers’ front office and management team for getting rid of a talented head case, but, they should have gotten much more than they did for a player of his caliber.