With cornerbacks dominating the first round of the draft, former Bears first-rounder Donnell Woolford signed a four-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers for an undisclosed amount.
Woolford and agent Steve Zucker came to terms before the Steelers made Maryland’s Chad Scott the fourth cornerback selected in the first round. Zucker said Woolford was aware the Steelers would draft a cornerback as well as sign a veteran. They lost Willie Williams to Seattle and Deon Figures to Jacksonville, and a third free agent, Rod Woodson, remains at large.
Zucker disagreed with an ESPN report that the Steelers made offers to Woodson, Woolford and Detroit’s Ryan McNeil and made it a race to sign.
“It was never expressed to us that way,” Zucker said.
Woolford visited the Steelers on Thursday and took a physical. Zucker said Woolford’s two DUI incidents were mitigated by the fact that he “has never tested positive during the (drug and alcohol) policy.”
Woolford could be subject to discipline under the NFL’s substance abuse policy for a third violation.
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“It’s a chance for him to get a new lease on life,” Steelers coach Bill Cowher said. “What’s happened to him is very well-documented, and it’s always a concern. We’ve all made mistakes in our past. But you only get so many opportunities, and I hope he understands it.”
Woolford apparently was impressed enough with the Steelers to sign despite arriving on a day the sewer system backed up inside Three Rivers Stadium. As Woolford walked into their offices, raw sewage was spilling from broken pipes into the coaches’ and executives’ offices.
“But my visit said it all,” Woolford said. “I’m leaving one football town and going to another. The Steelers are first-class, and that’s why I’m going there.”
Woolford was the 11th pick of the 1989 draft and set the Bears’ record for interceptions by cornerbacks with 32, passing Bennie McRae (27) and Dave Whitsell (26).
The graduate: Offensive line coach Tony Wise liked third-round pick Bob Sapp for more than just his toughness and physical skills. He pointed out that Sapp will receive two college degrees–in sociology and pharmacy. Sapp took a lot of summer school classes growing up in Colorado Springs, and they carried over to college.
Get better cable: Sapp had to wait for the Bears to call him to find out he had been drafted. ESPN’s coverage of the draft moved over to ESPN2 for the third round, and the TV set Sapp was watching doesn’t get that network.
On the record: Asked how Sapp compares to Bears offensive lineman Marcus Spears, a draft bust, Wise responded: “Next question.”
Draft bits: The draft resumes at 10 a.m. Sunday with the remaining four rounds. The Bears have two picks in the fourth round–the ninth selection (105th overall), acquired in the Rick Mirer trade, and the 12th pick (108th overall). They have eight picks overall on Sunday, including three in the sixth round. . . . No surprise: Notre Dame has supplied the Bears with the most draft picks of any other college with 39. Ohio State is next with 27, Texas (24) and Stanford (22).