Latrobe, PA (Best E Casino) - Pittsburgh Steelers punter Daniel Sepulveda will miss the 2008 season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right leg the team announced Tuesday.

Sepulveda, a fourth-round draft pick by the Steelers in 2007, originally tore the ACL in his right leg in a pickup basketball game in the spring of 2006 while he was at Baylor University. As a rookie, the left-footed punter averaged 42.4 yards per kick on 68 punts, including 28 kicks inside the opponents' 20-yard line.

At Baylor, Sepulveda twice won the Ray Guy Award as college football's top punter, and after tearing his ACL he punted 66 times for a 46.5 yard average in his senior season.

To replace Sepulveda, the Steelers claimed Paul Ernster off waivers. Ernster last played in the NFL in 2007, and punted 80 times for a 41.7 yard average with Denver during the 2006 season.