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Friday, June 11, 2010

Steelers sign a pair of picks

The Steelers agreed to terms with two of their draft picks from this year’s NFL Draft, linebacker Thaddeus Gibson and defensive tackle Doug Worthington. Financial terms of the agreements were not disclosed.

Gibson (6-2, 243), who was unable to participate in the Steelers’ recent organized team activities (OTA) due to class requirements at Ohio State, was Pittsburgh’s fourth-round pick (116th overall) in this year’s NFL Draft. Gibson played defensive end for the Buckeyes and earned second-team all-Big Ten honors in 2009 with four sacks and 13 tackles for a loss.

Worthington (6-5, 292) was the Steelers’ seventh-round selection (242nd overall) in this year’s Draft and also played on the defensive front for Ohio State. He had 42 tackles his senior season, including two sacks, and helped the Buckeyes rank seventh in the NCAA in holding opponents to 90 rushing yards per game.

Gibson and Worthington are the first two draft picks to sign with the Steelers this season.

Gibson's signing early was extremely important since he missed the OTAs because of Ohio State's graduation date. He'll need to get as much work as possible at training camp - not that it was likely he would hold out.

6 comments:

Ben said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Thanks, Dale. As always, I love your blog.

Anonymous said...

Dale, do you think Worthington is bound for the practice squad?

Anonymous said...

I think the Steelers will do very well this year, however, with the Big Ben "issue" lingering, it wont matter, I guarantee the steelers will not come close to making the super bowl this year............
which sucks, the steelers have been and always will be the best NFL organization since i was born in 1966!!! the NFL has become just like modern hollywood and politics!! LOL

Anonymous said...

From one anonymous to another, I don't think Ben's issue will sink the season. (As long as he comes back from suspension with a stronger focus.) The first 4 to 6 weeks of the season won't determine the Steeler's fate.

I remember the '93 Saints. They opened the season 5-0, and the pundits were talking about them as unbeatable. Week 6 they got pasted by the Steelers, went into a tailspin, and ended 8-8.

Dale Lolley said...

They'll be find this season. I think they'll go at least 2-2 without Roethlisberger and he's a very motivated football player. He'll want to come back and keep the boo birds from showing up.
I think they win at least 10 this season.

As for Worthington, yeah, he's likely PS bound unless he has a great preseason or shows absolutely nothing.