Matt Freed, Post-Gazette photos Former Aliquippa and Pitt standout Darrelle Revis jumps onto his uncle, former NFL player Sean Gilbert, in the moments after he was drafted No. 14 overall by the New York Jets. Click photo for larger image.
	Darrelle Revis, left, wipes away the tears while sharing a moment with his father, Darryl Revis, after being drafted by the Jets. Click photo for larger image.

Former Pitt cornerback Darrelle Revis was close to moving next door at the UPMC South Side facility and joining the Steelers. But the New York Jets spoiled those plans when they traded up -- one spot ahead of the Steelers -- and selected Revis with the 14th overall selection in the NFL draft yesterday.

Revis, a 6-foot, 205-pound Aliquippa native, was watching the draft on television in his hometown and was thinking the Steelers would be calling him soon.

"I figured I'd be going to the Steelers," Revis said. "But the Jets jumped ahead of them and took me."

Revis was one of two players from local colleges taken in the first round. Penn State's Levi Brown also was selected in the first round. Brown, a 6-foot-5, 323-pound offensive tackle, was chosen with the fifth overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals.

Paul Posluszny, a 6-foot-2, 240-pound linebacker from Penn State, was projected by most draft experts as a first-round choice, but he slipped into the second round and was taken by Buffalo Bills with the 34th overall pick.

The Jets, like the Steelers, needed a cornerback, but getting picked by New York was a surprise for Revis, who had not spoken much with them before the draft. The Jets jumped 11 spots to land Revis.

"I didn't know about it until the last second," Revis said. "I was looking at the TV and saw that Carolina was picking. Then, I saw the Jets made a trade. I respect them a lot for jumping up and picking me, for believing in me and my abilities."

Revis was the first cornerback taken in the draft. There had been a debate about who was the top cornerback -- Revis or Michigan's Leon Hall. After being considered by some as a top-10 pick, Hall slid to Cincinnati at No. 18.

"Through the whole process, it was me and Leon Hall, and there were arguments about who was the best," Revis said. "It's a relief that I was the first [cornerback] taken. It was a great day. I had a lot of family and close friends here. It's over, and it's all about playing football now."

While it was a great day for Revis, it was a disappointing day for another Beaver County resident. Posluszny, who attended Hopewell High School, had to wait 6¹/₂ hours to hear his name called. At one time, Posluszny was considered a sure-fire first-round selection, but questions arose in the past few months about his athleticism and his ability to drop back in pass coverage.

Posluszny, a two-time All-American, injured his knee in January 2006, and some believe he has not regained his speed and mobility. He was clocked at 4.7 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine in February.

Three linebackers were taken ahead of Posluszny -- Patrick Willis of Mississippi, Jon Beason of Miami, Fla., and Lawrence Timmons of Florida State, who was chosen by the Steelers.

By landing in Buffalo, Posluszny has the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of another legendary Penn State linebacker. Shane Conlan played for the Bills in the 1980s and 1990s and many had compared Posluszny to Conlan over the past four seasons at Penn State.

Brown was the second offensive tackle selected, two spots behind Wisconsin's Joe Thomas, who was drafted by the Cleveland Browns. Brown became the first Penn State offensive lineman drafted in the first round since Jeff Hartings and Andre Johnson were taken in the first round in 1996.

Brown is expected to earn a starting position right away with the Cardinals, who are looking for a right tackle to protect quarterback Matt Leinart's blind side. Brown will be learning under former Steelers line coach Russ Grimm, now the assistant head coach under former Steelers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt.

"We had both of those players ranked very close, almost right together," Whisenhunt said, comparing Thomas and Brown. "Certainly, there were attributes about each player that we liked. I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that I like the physical mentality or the physical nature of the way he plays. I think it is a good fit for what we are trying to do and what we are trying to establish with this football team."

"The thing that impressed us the most when we went to work him out was the passion he has for the game," Grimm said. "I think he wants to keep improving. He's excited about playing, and we're definitely happy with him."