For most Pittsburgh Steelers fans, the 2019 NFL Draft is not a pleasant memory. The Steelers traded up to the 10th overall pick to select LB Devin Bush out of Michigan. That makes the Steelers a prime candidate for a big upgrade during redrafts. What would things have looked like if the Steelers had drafted Jeffery Simmons instead?
That’s the question posed by CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson. He did a redraft of the top 10 picks of the draft on Wednesday, and he had the Steelers take the disruptive defensive tackle instead.
“At number 10, the Steelers add twitched-up defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons,” Wilson said.
Simmons was drafted 19th overall by the Tennessee Titans and has amassed 26.5 sacks and 38 tackles for a loss in 68 career games. He’s been named second-team All-Pro twice and has been to the Pro Bowl twice. That level of disruptiveness would be a boost to the Steelers when paired with Cam Heyward on the line.
The one drawback would be that Simmons tore his ACL during the pre-draft process, so he wasn’t available to play immediately. He did play in nine games in 2019 so he would still have seen the field in Pittsburgh, though. Simmons also has only played in one full season since entering the league.
However, despite the missed time, Simmons unquestionably has been more impactful than Bush.
Bush played four years for the Steelers before signing with the Seahawks in 2023. He’s appeared in 65 career games, three less than Simmons. He has 323 total tackles, 18 tackles for a loss, four sacks, two interceptions, and 13 passes knocked down. Ironically, Simmons actually has 20 passes knocked down as a defensive lineman.
So if the Steelers had a chance to go back and re-do the 2019 NFL Draft, would they take Simmons? The ACL injury makes it tougher to figure out. However, there’s no denying that Simmons would have been a better pick than Bush. Bush now is on his third team after signing with the Cleveland Browns this offseason.
It would also help the Steelers’ 2019 draft class be more fondly remembered. WR Diontae Johnson had a productive career in Pittsburgh as a third-round pick before being traded to the Panthers this offseason. Beyond that, CB Justin Layne, the team’s second third-round pick that year, appeared in 43 games for the Steelers but hasn’t played since 2022. Fourth-round RB Benny Snell Jr. appeared in the third-most games out of the class (63) but didn’t play in 2023 either. Only four of the Steelers’ nine 2019 draft picks were on an NFL team in 2023.
Upgrading from a low-impact linebacker to a disruptive defensive lineman would be a big boost for the Steelers.
