The Pittsburgh Steelers wanted to draft Devin Bush.
I’ll give you a minute to collect yourself.
For real though. You knew it. I knew it. And so did the rest of the league. Before Art Rooney II gave the microphone to Bush, who spoke with the Steelers’ media for the first time since being drafted, Rooney admitted the obvious.
“Young man we’ve had an eye on for awhile now,” Rooney told reporters. “Maybe the worst kept secret in the draft was who we might try to take this year. Glad we’re able to do it.”
Bush was one of the few players in this draft class who checked literally every single box imaginable when searching for a Steelers’ first round pick. He’s not only an underclassmen but one of the youngest players in the draft. The third youngest to be exact, trailing only RB Travis Homer and TE Irv Smith Jr. Homer was brought in for a pre-draft visit while Kevin Colbert attended Alabama’s Pro Day.
Michigan is a top, Power 5 school and Bush tested like an elite athlete at the Combine. The Steelers attended his Pro Day and dined with him the night before.
Football is also in his bloodlines. Devin Bush Sr. played in the NFL for eight years and was part of the 1999 St. Louis Rams Super Bowl champion team. His final two seasons were spent with Cleveland where Keith Butler served as the Browns’ linebackers coach. Rooney cited the bloodlines and pedigree making the organization all the more comfortable with the selection.
“Comes from a great family. Attended a great university. So we’re excited to have Devin part of the family.”
The only thing standing in the way of Bush becoming a Steeler was attempting to work out a trade. As Colbert said last night, with the team having ten picks this year and likely a third round compensation pick in 2020 for Le’Veon Bell, it made parting away with the 52nd overall selection and next year’s third much more palatable.
