The first day of the 2009 NFL draft was a day of waiting and ultimately dealing for the Pittsburgh Steelers. With the final pick in the first round, the defending Super Bowl Champions had to wait until all 31 teams took their shots at top college prospects.

But, it appears that they got one of the men they wanted.

They selected defensive lineman Evander “Ziggy” Hood, who played his college ball at Missouri. Hood becomes the first defensive linemen selected by the Steelers in the first round since 2001, when they chose Casey Hampton.

The Post-Gazette’s Ed Bouchette correctly predicted Ziggy Hood’s selection, likening him to Aaron Smith.

Steel Curtain Rising Vindicated… eh, Let’s Not Get Carried Away

Well, perhaps, no certainly that is too much to say. However, while many in Steelers Nation expected the Steelers to focus on offensive line, the Steelers chose to focus on injecting youth into their defensive line.

At the beginning of the week, Steel Curtain Rising suggested that with aging starters and back ups, this was just what the Steelers needed to do.

Likewise, it appears that this site’s alter ego, La Toalla Terrible,* can claim some bragging rights. (You know they’ll be no shutting him up now….)

On Thursday La Toalla Terrible joked that the Steelers recent string of fourth round failures had led management to simply abandon the pick.

Well the Steelers (thankfully) did not do that. Instead they traded their second and their fourth for two thirds from Denver. With the trade, Pittsburgh starts tomorrow with:

• 3 third round picks
• 0 fourth round picks
• 2 fifth round picks
• 1 sixth round pick
• 2 seventh round picks

Hope for Better Luck with This Three Pick Third Round

This will give them three picks in the in the third round, something which happened exactly ten years ago in the 1999 draft.

That year they hit gold with Joey Porter, but they also picked Kris Farris and Amos Zereoue.

Outland Trophy Kris Farris winner discovered a hairline fracture in training camp, sat out his rookie year on IR, and was cut before ever playing a down for the Steelers during the following summer in Latrobe. Zereoue was talented as advertised. He simply never seemed to want it enough.

Let’s hope that the due of Colbert-Tomlin do better with their three third round picks than the tandem of Donahoe-Cowher did with their’s.

*La Toalla Terrible means Terrible Towel in Spanish. La Toalla Terrible writes occasionally for Steel Curtain Rising, and takes a zanny look at the side of things.