Devin Bush is a worse overall draft pick for Steelers than Edmunds

Draft capital Steelers invested

Even if Bush ends up becoming an average player (like Edmunds has become), the Steelers invested significantly more resources in landing Bush than they did in Edmunds. Edmunds was taken late in the first round with no move up or down to land him. Bush required a rare first-round trade-up, as the Steelers moved into the top ten of the draft in exchange for the team’s second-round pick that year and a third in the following draft.

Now, had Bush lived up to the expectations he had when we was drafted, that second and third-round pick wouldn’t have amounted to much, but as it stands right now it seems like a tough deal. For starters, the Steelers could have taken players that have performed better at that number ten spot such as Brian Burns. Had the team wanted to save that draft capital though, they could have just stayed put at pick twenty.

Darnell Savage and Montez Sweat have both become quality starters for their respective teams. This would have allowed the Steelers to keep their additional draft picks. Instead, the team got a below-average player and gave up a lot to get him. You can make the argument that Edmunds wasn’t worth a first-round pick, but Bush was the far higher investment, and his play has been worse than Edmunds overall. The overall investment makes Edmunds the better draft pick from a value perspective.

While neither Bush nor Edmunds’s story is completely told yet, as it stands right now Edmunds is the better overall draft pick. Bush has regressed instead of developing and cost significantly more to draft. Edmunds has developed into an average starter at this point and while not a great pick, has easily become the better overall value than Bush has.