New York moved up seven spots in the fourth round on April…
New York moved up seven spots in the fourth round on April 27, 2008, sending Pittsburgh picks No. 130 and No. 194 for No. 123. The Giants selected BYU linebacker Bryan Kehl. He played 31 regular-season games with three starts for New York from 2008 through the 2010 opener, recording 43 combined tackles, one sack, one interception and one pass defended before the Giants waived him. The trade-up produced useful depth and special-teams work, but no lasting starting role.
New York Giants Received
- pick 2008 fourth round pick (#123- Bryan Kehl )
Pittsburgh Steelers Received
- pick 2008 fourth round pick (#130- Tony Hills )
- pick 2008 sixth round pick (#194- Ryan Mundy )
Trade Analysis
The transaction occurred on April 27, 2008, the second day of the NFL draft. Pittsburgh's own draft recap states that the Steelers traded pick No. 123 to the Giants for No. 130 and No. 194. New York used No. 123 on BYU linebacker Bryan Kehl, Pittsburgh selected Texas tackle Tony Hills at No. 130 and used No. 194 on West Virginia safety Ryan Mundy. Pro Football Reference and Pro Sports Transactions record the same structure. The legacy row had the correct assets but the wrong January date and did not distinguish the very different levels of team value created by the two Steelers selections.
Kehl gave New York immediate depth but never became a long-term starter. NFL records show 16 games and two starts as a rookie in 2008, 14 games and one start in 2009, and one final Giants appearance in 2010. Across those 31 games he recorded 43 combined tackles, one sack, one interception and one pass defended. His 2008 rookie year accounted for most of that defensive production, including the interception and sack. New York waived him in September 2010, and his later work for St. Louis, Kansas City and Washington is excluded from the Giants' trade return.
Hills contributed very little in Pittsburgh. He was inactive throughout the Steelers' 2008 Super Bowl season, did not record a regular-season appearance in 2009, and played four games without a start in 2010. Pittsburgh released him before the 2011 season. His later NFL appearances for Indianapolis, Dallas and New Orleans occurred after his Steelers tenure and are not credited here.
Mundy is the reason the trade-down worked for Pittsburgh. He did not play a regular-season game as a rookie in 2008, but from 2009 through 2012 he appeared in all 64 Steelers regular-season games. Pro Football Reference credits him with five starts, 131 combined tackles, eight passes defended and one interception during those four seasons. He also contributed on special teams and appeared in eight postseason games for Pittsburgh. Mundy's later starting seasons with the Giants and Bears are not part of the Steelers' return, but four full seasons of availability and rotational safety work already outweigh the direct value New York received from Kehl.
The hindsight result favors Pittsburgh, though not by an enormous margin. Kehl was a useful reserve for two full seasons and part of a third, so the Giants did receive real value from moving up. Pittsburgh got almost nothing from Hills, but Mundy's 64 consecutive regular-season appearances, five starts and special-teams/defensive role created a longer and broader contribution than Kehl's 31-game Giants tenure. A B for Pittsburgh and C+ for New York reflects a clear Steelers advantage without treating the trade as a major franchise-changing win.