The Pittsburgh Steelers moved up 10 spots in April’s draft to add linebacker Devin Bush. The standout prospect is now officially a member of the team.
It certainly hasn’t been uncommon for the Pittsburgh Steelers to use a first-round selection in the NFL Draft on a defensive player. And this year was no exception as general manager Kevin Colbert and the organization opted for University of Michigan linebacker Devin Bush with the 10th overall selection.
It marked the seventh consecutive year that the Black and Gold opted to bolster this side of the ball in the first round. It started with outside linebacker Jarvis Jones in 2013 and has included fellow linebackers Ryan Shazier (2014) and Bud Dupree (2015), cornerback Artie Burns (2016), pass rusher T.J. Watt (2017), safety Terrell Edmunds (2018) and now Bush.
But what was different in this instance was the fact that the franchise did not stand pat with their original choice.
The Steelers gave up their first-round pick (No. 20), a second-round selection this year and a third-round pick in 2020 to move up 10 spots. And just over two weeks after grabbing the former Wolverine playmaker, the team has announced that Bush is under contract. While it’s hardly surprising that the promising prospect has already inked his four-year deal, the more notable news came during the team’s recent minicamp, via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Devin Bush called the Steelers defense on his first day of rookie minicamp. His athletic ability was on display, but Bush said he was more focused on “being vocal as much as I could...trusting what I see.” Fellow rookie Justin Layne calls Bush “a dog” on the field. pic.twitter.com/RupzvS3OhI
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) May 10, 2019
Obviously, the Pittsburgh Steelers defense has been a lot different since Shazier went down late in the 2017 with a neck injury that has sidelined him ever since. He had emerged as the club’s most versatile and productive performer on that side of the football.
Now the team is certainly hoping that Bush can be that kind of player on a unit that, despite the rankings, has been wildly inconsistent at best. The rookie will have the opportunity to put his stamp on this defense as a rookie.