Shamarko Thomas, the former Syracuse safety and the first of the Steelers' two fourth-round draft picks, has signed a four-year contract. Thomas is the first of the Steelers' nine draft picks to reach agreement. Because the NFL rookie wage scale mandates salaries for fourth- to- seventh-round picks, Thomas' salary was largely pre-determined, except for his signing bonus. Thomas, the 111th overall pick, figures to be the top backup to Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark. He dropped in the draft partly because he is only 5-foot-9 and some teams were concerned that his height would be a liability. Source: The Tribune Review
