Pittsburgh Steelers NFL Draft LenDale White Sinorice Moss Bobby Carpenter

When the Pittsburgh Steelers make their first selection Saturday with the 32nd pick in the NFL draft, chances are it will be someone who has looked them in the eye.Sure, the Steelers use computer models. Of course, they participate in the
February combine. But they also hire their new players every year the way most businesses do – largely on the basis of personal interviews."The one thing you want to feel comfortable about," offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt said recently, "is that they'll fit in from the standpoint of 4 Brett Favre White jersey
personnel and work ethic. Are they a Pittsburgh Steeler kind of guy?"Last year's top choice, University of Virginia tight end Heath Miller, evidently was. And over the last five years, Pittsburgh has relied much more on the draft than on free agent signings to keep the black & gold machine moving forward.Of the last five Steeler top picks, in fact, all were starters on the 2005-06 Super Bowl champions -- DL Casey Hampton (2001), OG Kendall Simmons (2002), DB Troy Polamalu (2003), QB Ben Roethlisberger (2004) and Miller.In fact, 16 of the 22 starters in that ring-clinching victory over Seattle were draft picks, and only one was a free agent.The Pittsburgh Steelers' draft success is all the more remarkable, considering the team generally picks toward the bottom of the order on Draft Day 1.So who will it be this year? It's impossible to say, but it is possible to list the 30 or so college prospects the team has invited in to meet face-to-face.These include running backs LenDale White of Southern Cal, Lawrence Maroney of Minnesota's, Joseph Addai of LSU and Maurice Drew of UCLA; DB's Darnell Bing (White's teammate), Donte Whitner (Ohio State), Daniel Bullocks (Nebraska); LB Bobby Carpenter (Ohio State); WRs Sinorice Moss (Miami), Chad Jackson (Florida), Willie Reid (Florida State), and Jeremy Bloom (Colorado), best known as an Olympic moguls skier.White reportedly made a favorable impression, despite recent chatter about his weight and hamstring injury (it was, in fact, a Steeler doctor who took an MRI and identified the problem as a hamstring tear), and the team is sold on the big, mobile Carpenter.Pressing needs include a linebacker, a safety, a wide receiver and a running back (especially in the wake of Steelers 6 Super Bowl Champions jersey
Jerome Bettis' retirement and with Duce Staley's health still in question). Picking last, however, is the downside of winning a Super Bowl, and it's hard to say who will be around when the Steelers finally get up to the podium.You just know, somehow, that they're going to fit in.