3 reasons why the Steelers are currently losing the trade-up for Devin Bush
By Tommy Jaggi
The Pittsburgh Steelers spent very good draft capital to trade up and land Devin Bush in 2019. Here’s why they currently losing on this deal.
Leading up to the 2019 NFL Draft, I was a big fan of Devin Bush, Despite measuring in at just 5’11”, Bush was a phenomenal athlete and difference-maker at the linebacker position for the Michigan Wolverines. The young team captain ultimately won the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award.
When the draft rolled around, I was ecstatic that Pittsburgh was able to land a player I had ranked inside my top 10. However, I wasn’t thrilled with the draft capital they were forced to give up in order to land a linebacker.
The Steelers traded their first and second-round pick to move up to the 10th overall spot in the draft to take Bush. Now entering his third NFL season, it’s hard to argue that the Steelers have even come close to getting their return on their investment. Here are three reasons why Pittsburgh is currently losing the trade-up for Devin Bush:
Injuries have slowed his progress
Injuries are unpredictable, and we certainly can’t fault Devin Bush for going down with a non-contact ACL tear early last season. However not having him on the field is a good argument as to why it’s been hard for the Steelers to get the return on their investment. In addition, the linebacker battled through some minor injuries as a rookie and was limited in a few games.
So far, Bush has played just 1,167 snaps over the first two years of his NFL career, according to Pro Football Reference. Last year alone, Minkah Fitzpatrick (another player Steelers have invested heavily into) played 1,020 snaps on defense. While Bush should be fully recovered entering training camp, early injuries (which again are unpredictable) have made him not worth the elite draft capital they spent to acquire him.