On Sunday, the Steelers drafted former Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs in the fourth round. Two days later, they released Zach Mettenberger, who was the No. 3 last season behind Ben Roethlisberger and Landry Jones. 

Mettenberger, who has been on three NFL rosters in three seasons, didn't take a snap last season in Pittsburgh. When the Titans drafted Mettenberger in the sixth round two years ago, we heard the typical post-draft spin -- Tennessee got a first-round talent who dropped because of injuries and off-field issues. As it happened, the Titans got a sixth-round talent, one they cut after two uneven seasons.

And as happened 12 months ago when the Titans cut bait, Mettenberger again faces long odds for another NFL opportunity. The competition is stiff -- 10 quarterbacks were drafted over the weekend -- and Mettenberger has been inconsistent in his limited opportunities.

It reminds us of something we wrote almost three years ago now, shortly after nine teams drafted quarterbacks in Rounds 4-6.

"Don't expect much from those quarterbacks selected on Day 3," we said at the time. "We might as well get that out of the way early. Yes, you can be optimistic and try to talk yourself into thinking the fifth-round QB your team selected was a steal, or you can be realistic and accept that fact that, in general, quarterbacks taken in Rounds 4-7 have short, low-impact NFL existences."

Mettenberger, who was winless in 10 career starts, threw for 2,347 yards and completed 60 percent of his passes with 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions during his two seasons in Tennessee. Turns out, those numbers are in the neighborhood of what history predicts for quarterbacks drafted on Day 3: On average, they'll play two NFL seasons, never be the team's primary starter, will sport a 2-5 career record (if they're lucky), complete 54.7 percent of their passes and throw three touchdowns against six interceptions.

Which brings us back to the Steelers, who are hoping that Dobbs, who has a degree in aereospace engineering, can beat the odds. 

"He's a smart guy," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin told NFL Network shortly after the team drafted Dobbs. "He's driven in all the right ways. He's properly motivated. He's got natural leadership skills. A lot's been written and said about his academic prowess, but I think he carries that same mentality in terms of how he approaches football.

"We just see that there's a lot of upside in this young man. He's been in competitive circumstances before, and he's prevailed, he's come out the other side. We're just really excited about not only what he's done, but we believe that there's a strong upside there."

Fun fact: Dobbs was taken with the 135th pick. Last year, the Cowboys selected some kid named Dak Prescott 135th overall.