Steelers LB Devin Bush named to the Big Ten All-Decade Team

Devin Bush is a player who showed a lot of promise as a rookie. Here’s why the Steelers linebacker was recently named to the Big Ten All-Decade Team.

When the Steelers moved up to the 10th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, we all knew who it was for. After Ryan Shazier went down with what would be a career-ending spinal injury back in 2017, Pittsburgh struggled to find a player who could fill his shoes.

In 2018, the Steelers used Jon Bostic as a stop-gap linebacker, but he and Vince Williams were picked on often in coverage. 2019 Rookie linebacker Devin Bush was an immediate upgrade over Bostic the moment he stepped on the field as a rookie.

Recently, Bush was named to the Big Ten All-Decade Team – an honor that only two other linebackers shared. This award was voted on by the Big Ten Network’s offensive line panel and given to who they believed were the best linebackers to play in the conference from 2010 to 2019.

Along with Bush, linebackers Chris Borland and Josey Jewell also made the cut. Jewell was a fourth-round pick by the Denver Broncos in 2018, while Borland (who had an extremely promising rookie season in 2014) retired after just one year in the NFL. Bush was clearly the most coveted linebacker of the three entering the NFL, as he ultimately was selected in the top 10.

In college, Devin Bush had a long list of accomplishments. Despite entering the NFL Draft as a 20-year-old, he was a team captain and a Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award recipient.

At Michigan, Bush excelled in nearly every aspect of the game. Despite his smaller stature (5’11”, 234 pounds) the freakishly athletic linebacker earned terrific grades in run defense, pass coverage, and blitzing.

The NFL proved to be a different animal for Bush in his rookie season, as he struggled early in zone coverage. However, Bush made major strides as the season went on and became more consistent with each game he played. He also already showcased the ability to make plays on the ball, as he compiled 6 takeaways (2 interceptions and 4 fumble recoveries) as well as a defensive touchdown.

If you watched Devin Bush in college, you should not be surprised to see that he was voted as one of the best linebackers of the Big Ten for last decade of football. The Pittsburgh Steelers likely got a good one, and he should continue to make strides as he progresses early in his NFL career.