The NFL draft used to be held on one day, all 17 rounds, then it became 12 rounds. When the league reduced the draft to seven rounds, it decided to conduct the whole thing in two weekend days.

That changed the complexion of the second day of the draft somewhat, because it allows everyone in the league to regroup overnight after the first three rounds.

Picking in the first round is easy; the first day should provide future starters. But selecting the second day -- rounds four through seven -- is dicey. The players are shorter, slower, lighter and almost always have more "negatives" than those drafted in the first round.

	The Post-Gazette counts down to the NFL draft Saturday-Sunday Sunday: What do the Steelers need? Also, we take a look at the draft as a whole and rate its top prospects. Monday: Character. It's in the news and it's becoming a bigger part of scouting ... because it's in the news. Tuesday: Day 2 of the draft is often more important than Day 1. How does a team get ready for Sunday? Wednesday: Local colleges figure to produce a number of early picks, including a couple of first-rounders. Thursday: Ed Bouchette recounts some of the historic moments in Steelers draft history. Friday: Mike Tomlin is a 4-3 defense man coming to a 3-4 team. So what's the big difference? Plenty. Saturday: Who will the Steelers take? Ed Bouchette makes his prediction. Also, he mock drafts the first round.

As Kevin Colbert, the Steelers' director of football operations said, "Obviously the players you're picking on the second day -- if you have them evaluated correctly -- they aren't going to be as good as ones you hopefully took on the first day."

But there always are those exceptions.

"Tom Brady and Willie Parker come to mind right away," Colbert said.

Teams that did not get what they wanted in the first three rounds, often reshuffle their priorities for the second day and even rework their draft boards.

"We do adjust our board after the first day," said Ozzie Newsome, Baltimore's general manager. "We learned that a lot of guys will make the team on special teams from that second day. They probably make the team as a special teams performer and after that we can evaluate him as an offensive or defensive player."

So, the Ravens go looking more for players who can make their club on special teams initially because "they have to be able to run and be tough" and ultimately they may pan out as position players.

"They don't have the proper height or speed. They may lack in size but they're football players," Newsome said of the players the Ravens seek on the second day of the draft.

The Steelers have not had great success on the second day in this century after generally drafting well the first day. In seven drafts starting in 2000 they found four starters -- linebackers Clark Haggans (fifth, 2000) and Larry Foote (fourth, 2002), defensive end Brett Keisel (seventh, 2002) and cornerback Ike Taylor (fourth, 2003).

The Steelers' philosophy is to fill needs and add depth on the second day.

"Usually you're drafting more depth on the second day," Colbert said. "You're possibly considering guys who might not make your team but he might be a practice guy -- four weeks, five weeks, eight weeks into the season he may be ready to play and make your active roster."

Tom Donahoe, a consultant with the St. Louis Rams, used a similar philosophy when he was making draft picks for the Steelers in the 1980s and 1990s and the Bills in the 2000s.

"Generally, on the second day, you can look a little bit more at positions you need, the needs you have to fill," Donahoe said. "Because when you get down to the sixth round, what's the difference between a sixth-round defensive tackle and a sixth-round running back? They're sixth-round guys. The money you invest is not as great, so you probably can look more at your team and what you need. You're still working with the range of your grades but you may not go as specifically on the board as you would the first day."

Under Donahoe's watch, the Steelers nabbed some good ones on the second day of the draft, including defensive ends Aaron Smith (fourth, 1999) and Orpheus Roye (sixth, 1996), cornerback Deshea Townsend (fourth, 1998) and Willie Williams (sixth, 1993), linebacker Earl Holmes (fourth, 1997), linebacker Carlos Emmons (seventh, 1996), safety Lee Flowers (fifth, 1995), quarterback Jim Miller (sixth, 1994), and defensive tackle Jeff Zgonina (seventh, 1993).

"We were fortunate, no question some of it is luck -- the whole draft is luck," Donahoe said. "Part of it, too, is doing your homework and making every round serious. You'd like to have as much information on the seventh-round guy as the first-round guy.

"There are some teams, when the first day is over, say, 'We don't care who we pick.' We always said, these guys are important, too -- a lot of players start and make Pro Bowls who are late-round picks."

Mistakes should be more plentiful on the second day of the draft because the strengths of the players available on that day are not as obvious. Detroit Lions coach Rod Marinelli, who worked on the defensive staff with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin in Tampa Bay, said that's not necessarily true.

"A lot of times, when you miss on the first round, it's because you started to fall in love with the measurables, not the film," Marinelli said during the NFL meetings in Phoenix. "You've got to go back and watch the film again. That's why I think sometimes you're more successful in the second day because you like the guy because he plays football. He's shorter, not as quick, a little stumpier. But you like him because you like the guy on film."

One statistic, though, is unalterable -- those drafted the second day make much, much less on their rookie contracts than those who go in the first.

Tackle Willie Colon, the first player the Steelers drafted on the second day last year, received a $283,500 signing bonus as a fourth-rounder. Receiver Willie Reid, their last player drafted the first day received a signing bonus of $453,100 as a third-rounder.