Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall was robbed at gunpoint early this morning on the South Side of Chicago, the Sun-Times is reporting.

Masked robbers wearing black hoodies and ski masks reportedly pointed a gun at Mendenhall and demanded cash, his phone and his wallet. No one was hurt and no one has been arrested.

It is not clear whether Mendenhall was targeted or simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Several athletes have spoken publicly about their concerns that their wealth makes them attractive targets to criminals. Houston Texans cornerback Dunta Robinson was robbed in his home last year, as were two Chicago-area NBA players.

The 23rd pick in the draft, Mendenhall suffered a minor hamstring injury during the team's first minicamp.

Pittsburgh Steelers 2008 Draft Picks:

Round 1 (23): Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illinois
Round 2 (53): Limas Sweed, WR, Texas
Round 3 (88): Bruce Davis, OLB, UCLA
Round 4 (130): Tony Hills, OT, Texas
Round 5 (156): Dennis Dixon, QB, Oregon
Round 6 (188): Mike Humphal, ILB, Iowa
Round 6 (194): Ryan Mundy, FS, West Virginia

The Good: Mendenhall and Sweed are outstanding value picks who fell into the Steelers laps. Mendenhall was supposed to go somewhere around pick No. 15, while many mock drafts had Sweed going to the Titans with pick No. 24. There are some knocks against both of them--Mendhall is a one-year starter and Sweed has a worrisome wrist injury--but at the spots they were taken, Pittsburgh got outstanding value. Third-rounder Bruce Davis was a productive college player who fits the profile of a Steelers 3-4 outside linebacker. Fourth-rounder Tony Hills is another boom-bust pick, but if things work out, he could end up as the Steelers starting left tackle in 2010.

The Bad: Pittsburgh went the route of best available player in the first two rounds, which gave them great value, but also ensured that some pressing needs were left unfilled. Even though every significant defensive lineman on the roster is on the wrong side of 30, Pittsburgh did not draft a defensive end. They have to hope that Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel avoid injuries, and that practice squadder Ryan McBean develops (as he recovers from a stress fracture in his foot).

Let's consider the similarities: Joey Porter was a college defensive end, Bruce Davis was a college defensive end; Porter moved to outside linebacker in the NFL, Davis will move to outside linebacker in the NFL; Porter was a third-round pick, Davis was drafted in the third round by the Steelers earlier today; Porter is, shall we say, loquacious, Davis, apparently, likes to flap his gums too:



Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, that's all Bruce Davis's gotta say. Next up: Debo-ing Levi Jones at a Vegas casino and calling Cam Cameron a gutless coward. If nothing else, the Steelers finally have somebody to lead "Who Ride?" So there's that.

Hat tip to SteelerBill for the B. Peezy video

Pittsburgh got great value picks in running back Rashard Mendenhall and wide receiver Limas Sweed. Both were players expected to be popped well before their actual landing spots. And both will do a lot to help upgrade the Steelers skill positions.

But by going RB and WR in the first two rounds, the Steelers have put themselves in position where they have to hit on several of their second-day picks, something that has been a problem in recent years. Pittsburgh needs at least one young offensive lineman to join a group that has three potential starters heading into the final years of their contract. The defensive line needs some youth for depth as well, while Pittsburgh could use a cornerback to help prepare for the possibility of losing Bryant McFadden to free agency.

So here are some names to watch for as Pittsburgh gets ready for the third round.

As offensive tackle/offensive guard, the depth of this draft does help Pittsburgh. At tackle, Kansas' Anthony Collins, Texas' Tony Hills or Auburn's King Dunlap are a trio of boom/bust tackles who could end up solid NFL starters or could be cut during training camp. UTEP's Oniel Cousins is pretty similar to Willie Colon in that he could play tackle, but is better suited for guard, while Rutgers Jeremy Zuttah is a potential fix to the team's problems at center. Pittsburgh guard Mike McGlynn would give the Steelers someone they are very familiar with.

At defensive end, there aren't many 3-4 ends still left on the board, but Hampton's Kendall Langford would be a good fit as a long-term project with future starting potential. Maryland's Dre Moore is a little big to be a true 3-4 end, but he has the strength to help out as a run stuffing end while also serving as a backup for Casey Hampton.

At cornerback, the Steelers could be tempted by Penn State's Justin King, but King has struggled to actually succeed on the field. His measurables are outstanding, but it's hard to get excited by a guy who consistently gets beaten on the field.

Ben Roethlisberger should be very, very happy.

Pittsburgh managed to add the tall receiver Roethlisberger has been asking for, and managed to get one who had been rumored by many to be a first-round pick. Pittsburgh may go into Sunday having done nothing to fix their line problems, but hey, they have helped upgrade the skill positions. Sweed immediately should battle Nate Washington for the No. 3 wide receiver position, and eventually he could become Hines Ward's replacement.

A couple of years ago before Chad Johnson went crazy and Chris Henry kept ending up in the back of police cars, the Bengals caused Pittsburgh all kind of problems by sending Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh on intermediate routes while sending Chris Henry deep against single coverage. Now, Pittsburgh will be able to do the same thing, while also sending Washington on deep routes as well.

Of course, all of that supposes that Ben Roethlisberger is still standing to throw the bomb when Sweed comes open. It's a concern, but if Pittsburgh can keep Roethlisberger protected, the Steelers have assembled a very impressive group at the skill positions.

Thanks to the miracle that is the Internet, JJ Cooper (of FanHouse), Ryan Wilson (of FanHouse and Heels, Sox and Steelers) and Neal Coolong (of DieHard Steel) were able to spout off to each other about the Steelers' first-round pick, Rashard Mendenhall.

Here are our random ramblings:

JJ Cooper: Ughh overall the NFL Network coverage is good, but Brian Billick being there is bad

Ryan Wilson: He is dreadful. i mean, the guy's found the cure for insomnia.

JJ: Mike Mayock keeps picking every pick right.

Ryan: That guy's a freaking genius.

JJ (after Gosder Cherlius goes to the Lions): well...it's Otah or Uh-Oh

Ryan: I don't think I'll feel very good about that.

JJ: I think trading down sounds great.

Ryan: True that.

Ryan (as the Steelers go on the clock) What do you think, Mendenhall? If so, how long until Fast Willie Parker starts crying like Tommy Maddox like it's 2004?

Fantasy FanHouse will be chiming in throughout the NFL draft with fantasy analysis of each fantasy relevant pick.

Wow. I mean, just wow. Rashard Mendenhall kind of plummeted in the draft didn't he? And when he landed right in Mike Tomlin's lap, the Pittsburgh head coach scooped him up. And it was a very smart move.

Willie Parker is obviously the starter for the Steelers, but there have always been concerns about his ability to bash between the tackles, even when he was racking up huge seasons, yardage-wise. Now the Steelers won't have to face those questions as much, because Mendenhall will serve as a bruising back that will compliment Parker perfectly.

Single season leagues are probably going to wait and take Mendenhall, because Parker is a pretty solid first rounder. However, I tend to think he's got sleeper written all over him because of Parker's injury history and his different style of running. If you like to gamble, you're going to be thinking about this guy in the early teens during drafts, and certainly, he's a must have handcuff for Parker.

In terms of dynasty leagues, I think Mendenhall has to be at or near the top of drafts. He's a brusing, talented runner and he's landed in a situation where the offensive line has always been stressed. Is Parker the long term answer for Pittsburgh? At least for the next two years because of his contract. But I'd put my money on Mendenhall being the guy you will want long term. And if that's the case, he may end up being the most valuable guy in this draft when we look back on things in about three to four years.

Could this first round have worked out worse for the Steelers?

Needing an offensive lineman, the Steelers watched the top seven offensive linemen all go off the board before their pick. All of a sudden the Steelers were left to choose between taking the best of a bad lot of wide receivers, the best of a group of corners that are hard to differentiate between or a boom-or-bust defensive end.

Instead they took a running back.

Now there are reasons to like Illinois' Rashard Mendenhall. He fits the "best player available" moniker, as many experts thought he would be gone by pick No. 15. But he's also a Big 10 running back, and he joins a team that already had Willie Parker, who rushed for 1,500 yards and a team-record in touchdowns just two years ago. Taking a tailback when you have a Pro Bowler seems odd for a team that's getting old at a lot of positions.

The Steelers already have a Mercedes in Willie Parker. They just added a BMW when they need a good pickup truck.

Mendenhall may be great, but he's a luxury for a team that has glaring needs at offensive tackle, offensive guard, defensive end, cornerback and wide receiver. Now the Steelers will go without filling a need for at least one of those needs, and maybe more.

Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall is one of the most talented players on the board, and to get him with the 23rd pick represents great value for the Steelers.

In the photo, Mendenhall is scoring a touchdown against USC in the Rose Bowl, and for all the talk that the Big Ten doesn't have any speed, Mendenhall ran wild in that game through one of the fastest defenses in college football.

So why did Mendenhall last until the late first round? It may be that some teams were concerned that he was only a one-year starter at Illinois. But that concern is foolish. This was a very good pick for the Steelers.

Previously on FanHouse:
Steelers Best Off Skipping Final Three Rounds, Signing Street Free Agents
Mock Draft Roundup: Steelers Move On To Cherlius
What Can You Get At Pick 23?
Steelers Aren't Moving To a 4-3 Defense
What's the Steelers Worst Draft?
Getting To Know Kendall Langford
Could Groves Be Growing On Steelers
Baker's Bad Pro Day Good News For Steelers
FanHouse Mock Draft: Pittsburgh Steelers Select CB Brandon Flowers

Jonathan Stewart is off the board. Branden Albert is long gone. Even Gosder Cherlius and Jeff Otah, the Steelers' fall-back picks have already gotten phone calls from their new coaches.

So with running back and offensive tackle no longer logical options, Pittsburgh faces a choice. They can trade down and pick up some more picks or they can stick here and take either a corner or a defensive end. The best bet is to trade down, if they can find a trade partner--trading down seems easy this year with teams bouncing up and down all through the first round. If they do, Sam Baker and Brandon Flowers could still be there in the early second round.

But if they can't, every indication is that Kentwan Balmer, the defensive end from North Carolina, will be the pick. Balmer will likely not start anytime in the near future, but he will give the Steelers three defensive ends who can all play 60-65 percent of the snaps while staying fresh. It's not the sexiest pick, but it seems like the most likely.

The other options are to take a cornerback with Mike Jenkins, Brandon Flowers, Aqib Talib (character issues) still on the board with only three picks to go to Pittsburgh's spot. And there are plenty of wide receivers, including Devin Thomas and Limas Sweed.