Steelers LB Devin Bush Listed At 18/1 Odds To Win 2019 DROY Award At My Bookie

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected inside linebacker Devin Bush in the first-round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Michigan a little over a week ago and the hope is he’ll become the team’s starter in the middle of the defense at some point during his rookie season and possibly sooner rather than later. Bush, who was the seventh overall defensive player chosen in this year’s draft, is currently listed at one popular online sportsbook behind the six defensive players selected ahead of him in regard to his odds of winning the AP Defensive Rookie Player of the Year award for 2019.

Bush, as of Saturday morning, is listed at +1800 to win the annual AP Defensive Rookie Player of the Year award, at MyBookie.ag. As you can see in the table below, the six defensive players selected ahead of Bush last Thursday night in Nashville, TN, Nick Bosa, Josh Allen, Quinnen Williams, Ed Oliver, Clelin Ferrell and Devin White, all have shorter odds than Bush currently does on the betting website. It is worth noting, however, that Bush is currently listed at +750 to win the annual AP Defensive Rookie Player of the Year award at BookMaker. In short, if you like Bush’s chances of winning the award in 2019, obviously you should bet the longer odds at MyBookie.ag.

With Bush being an off-the-ball linebacker and expected to play in the middle of the defense, he should have a decent chance at winning the AP Defensive Rookie Player of the Year award in 2019 and especially if he can become the Steelers starter and every-down player very early in the season. Last season, Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard, who was selected 36th overall and in the second-round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of South Carolina State, won the AP Defensive Rookie Player of the Year award after registering a league-high 163 total tackles, 2 interceptions, 4 forced fumbles and 8 passes defensed in the 15 games he played in and started. 7 of Leonard’s 12 total tackles for losses were sacks.

Prior to Leonard winning the 2018 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award, Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly was the last player to play off-the-ball linebacker to win the award. That honor came after his 2012 rookie season. Like Leonard this past season, Kuechly also led the NFL in total tackles during his rookie 2012 season. Can Bush manage to accomplish that same total tackle feat in his 2019 rookie season? It’s possible, but once again, he’d likely need to be the team’s starter and every-down linebacker by Week 3 at the very latest.

Linebacker Kendrell Bell was the last Steelers player to win the annual AP Defensive Rookie Player of the Year award and that honor came way back in 2001. While Bell only registered 82 total tackles in his rookie season, that included him starting all 16 regular season games, he did have 9 sacks that year. Bush, as many of the fans of the team should know by now, enters the NFL after having a productive college career at Michigan as a blitzer that resulted in him registering 10 career sacks. Last season, Bush registered 79 total tackles at Michigan and 102 in 2017.