CHANGES A-COMIN'

After yesterday's epic fail against Oakland, coach Mike Tomlin revealed the following bits of info in relation to the upcoming game against the Browns on Thursday:

--CBs Joe Burnett and Keenan Lewis will not only play but could start against the Browns. CB Ike Taylor, nursing burn wounds, might find a place on the Steeler bench.

--CB William Gay, who suffered a concussion against Oakland, will undergo neurological tests. If he is able to play, he may not start.

--WR Hines Ward is doubtful because of a late-game hamstring injury, so Limas Sweed moves up the depth chart (gulp) and a receiver will be signed for depth. Either Sweed or Mike Wallace will start in Ward's place. I'm putting my money on Wallace. Call it a hunch.

--S Troy Polamalu will likely miss his fourth straight game with a knee injury. Call that the Madden Curse.

--RB Rashard Mendenhall will get limited reps in practice this week because of an ankle injury.

--And to the best of my knowledge, there were no promises to unleash anything else this month.

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AND IN ROUND FIVE, IT'S FRANK THE TANK, THE JUNIOR BUS

The fifth round has always been somewhat of a crapshoot for the Steelers organization. It's produced stars like Mike Webster, Barry Foster, and Hardy Nickerson, as well as solid contibutors such as Lee Flowers, Jerame Tuman, and Clark Haggans. On the other hand, it's also given us forgettable names like Omar Jacobs, Tee Martin, and Charles Davis.

This year, the Steelers had two picks in round five, the first one used on CB Joe Burnett, a 5'9", 192-pounder from Central Florida who was a first-team All-American last season. In fact, Burnett has a lengthy list of college accolades, including:

• First-team ESPN All-American (2008)
• First-team Sports Illustrated All-American (2008)
• First-team Conference USA All-Freshman (2005)
• 3x First-team All-Conference USA (2005-2007)
• First-team CollegeFootballNews.com Freshman All-American (2005)
• First-team FWAA Freshman All-American (2005)
• First-team Rivals.com Freshman All-American (2005)
• Third-team Sporting News Freshman All-America

Burnett, a four-year starter at UCF, will add depth at the defensive back position and presumably throw his hat in the ring for a returner job.

With their next pick, the team chose RB Frank "The Tank" Summers, a 5'9", 243-pounder from UNLV by way of Oakland, California. Last season, the bruising back who's sure to be a training camp favorite ran for 740 yards and eight touchdowns on 183 carries, with three 100-yard games to his credit.

Summers has long been on the Steelers' radar, according to this article I dug up from his pro day at UNLV:

And if there's one team whose attention Summers caught more than anyone's as a fullback, it was the reigning Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, who had two scouts on-hand alongside running backs coach Kirby Wilson.

The Steelers' staffers in attendance, after all of the players' running tests were completed, held Summers behind on the field to have him run a series of cone drills and pass-catching sets.

They wanted to see first-hand the soft and sure mitts that hauled in 36 passes during Summers' two seasons as a Rebel, which were a nice supplement to his 1,668 rushing yards.

After his first grab, a pass to the flat, he turned, grunted and sprinted downfield.

Wilson told him upon returning to the formation that he didn't have to worry about finishing each route after the catch.

Summers paid it no mind, running at least 20 yards, full speed, following each snag. He caught every catchable ball thrown his way.

At one point, one scout said, under his breathe, 'He's a junior Bus', referring to sure-fire Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis, who helped carry the Steelers to a win in Super Bowl XL over Seattle in 2006 to cap his brilliant 13-year career.

Junior Bus? Frank the Tank? This guy's got more nicknames than any other Steeler drafted ahead of him this year. Write it down: you will hear a lot more about Summers in the near future.

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STEELERS PROSPECT PARADE CONTINUES

The Steelers continue to bring in college players for visits, so here are a few of the latest:

-Oregon DL Ra'Shon Harris will be in town today. He's a shade under 6'4", 297 pounds and projects to be a 3-4 defensive end in the NFL. Harris had 47 tackles and three sacks for the Ducks last year. Rated #18 DT by NFLdraftscout.com.

--6-8, 345-pound Oklahoma OT Phil Loadholt was in town yesterday. He was a left tackle in college but could be moved to the right side in the NFL. Had an arrest last year for suspicion of DUI and transporting an open container, which might be a turn-off. Rated #8 offensive tackle by NFLdraftscout.com.

--5-11, 192-pound Central Florida cornerback/return specialist Joe Burnett also visited yesterday. He was a four-year starter in college and was an All-American returner last year. Rated #23 CB by NFLdraftscout.com.

Steelers hosting Oregon defensive lineman Harris [Trib]

Steelers host draft prospects Loadholt, Burnett [Trib]

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