Pure Steel
First and Ten: Daniel Sepulveda

Punter Daniel Sepulveda was drafted in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL draft out of Baylor. He quickly settled in as the Steelers' punter and last month was the recipient of the "Joe Greene Great Performance Award" which is given to the team's outstanding rookie. PSR Editor Tony DeFazio chatted with Sepulveda last month.

PSR: What were some of the challenges for you as you made the transition from college to the NFL?

DS: I think some of the challenges were the same for me as they'd be for anyone. Processing a lot of change, moving into a new environment, finding a new place to live… a lot of the same challenges that you face going from high school to college. Except I only moved 100 miles away when I went to college, this is more like 1,300 miles away. The expectations are obviously different. When you get a scholarship in college, you're pretty much on the team regardless of your performance. Here, it's all performance-based. You're paid based on your performance and everything is driven by your performance. Adjusting to that has been a little different. As far as the actual football stuff goes, it's the same game. Obviously it's a little bit faster, the athletes are all that much better. Every week you're going to be punting to a return man who has the chance to take it to the house and pretty much all these guys have done it at some point or another. So dealing with that has been an adjustment.

PSR: How do you think your rookie season has gone?

DS: There are some moments I'm proud of and some others that I had to learn from and move on from. All in all it has been pretty solid so far.

PSR: Was there some pressure that came along with being a draft pick as a punter?

DS: That's not anything that I controlled. People have been talking about that ever since it happened. I'm delighted that it happened, I'm honored and proud to be a part of the Pittsburgh Steelers but it's not something that I had any say in. I've always said that pressure is a product of your preparation. If you're not prepared then you're going to feel it. If you are prepared and you know you can get the job done, then it's just something that you can use to fuel you to perform better.