Rashard Mendenhall Gives Steelers More Options in 2009

The Steelers really didn't have a choice. When Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall was still on the board 22 picks into the 2008 NFL draft, Pittsburgh pretty much had to take him. Not because they needed a running back, but because Mendenhall had game-changing ability and was too good to pass up at that point in the proceedings.

Sure, Pittsburgh had gaping chasms along the offensive line -- the Sean Mahan experiment flopped and Alan Faneca took the money and ran to New York -- and they still had said gaping chasms when they selected wideout Limas Sweed a round later.

But head coach Mike Tomlin had a plan: if the players aren't there to shore up the o-line, find skill position players who force the defense into changing their strategy. Which, against the Steelers, usually involves blitzing Ben Roethlisberger unconscious.

Nice theory, but Mendenhall only lasted six weeks before landing on injured reserve with a broken collarbone. And Sweed, while healthy, has had his own issues. The Steelers' offense has sputtered at times this season, but having the galaxy's best defense has mitigated most of the inconsistencies.

More than three months out from the draft, it's impossible to say who the organization might target in the first round. But with Mendenhall expected to be fully healthy for offseason workouts, the Steelers may feel like they have two rookie first-rounders in camp.

Mendenhall, who received a five-year, $12.6 million contract, originally expected he would require surgery, but he didn't and will be full-go at the start of the offseason program.

''Coming back next year, all of the rookie stuff will be done and I'll be settled,'' he said. ''Everything will not be going 100 mph, and I will have some direction and be ready to play and focus on football. Injury aside, this is a dream situation.''

Labels don't really matter (rookie, redshirt, second-year player ... whatever), but there's a chance that next year's squad -- assuming some key free agents are re-signed -- could be better than the current version. And a healthy Willie Parker occasionally spelled by a healthy Mendenhall should go a long way in keeping Big Ben from getting mauled every week. And who knows, maybe Sweed will even catch a pass.