Mewelde Moore Draws Comparisons to Kevin Faulk, Sans Marijuana Possession Charge

Last week, the Steelers released Najeh Davenport, a 245-pound running back who was signed to replace the ineffective Duce Staley in 2006. Staley was signed two years earlier to take over for the soon-to-be-retiring Jerome Bettis (he's from Detroit, you know). The common theme among the three backs? They were all big, plodding bruisers who could move the pile and excelled in short-yardage situations.

But as Pittsburgh heads into 2008, Gary Russell is the "heaviest" runner of those destined for the final 53, and he weighs 215 pounds (according to NFL.com). Rookie Rashard Mendenhall is 210, and Willie Parker and Mewelde Moore are listed at 209. But it's Moore, signed this offseason to a three-year, $4.95 million deal, who could be the key component to the new-fangled running game.

Not so much for his ability to actually run the ball, but because of his many other talents.

Early reports from Pittsburgh suggest RB Mewelde Moore could prove a free-agent steal, the way we hear it, with the play of the ex-Vikings back in offseason workouts drawing comparisons to Patriots pass-catching RB Kevin Faulk from a veteran Steelers observer. ...

[Moore] has a chance to be Pittsburgh's most formidable receiving threat out of the backfield in recent memory. The Steelers haven't had a back catch 40 passes since Amos Zereoue caught that many in 2003

Um, yeah, invoking Amos Zereoue's name doesn't exactly instill much confidence in the fan base, although I take the overall point. Interestingly, Davenport was probably the Steelers best pass-catching back the last two seasons (Parker occasionally struggles in that area), but Moore is a tad more versatile. At least that's the hope -- Sean Mahan was hailed for his versatility last offseason and that little experiment sorta blew up in Pittsburgh's face.