The two top off-ball linebackers in the 2019 NFL Draft were Devin White and Devin Bush, and the Pittsburgh Steelers traded up to No. 10 overall to select Bush. His career in Pittsburgh was underwhelming after he suffered a torn ACL during his second season. While White’s career has been up and down, he was a second-team All-Pro in 2020 and a Pro Bowler in 2021, and in Bleacher Report’s 2019 re-draft, the Steelers stayed put at No. 20 overall and selected White.
“Though Pittsburgh has a chance to land Bush much lower in this redraft, they instead pivot to former LSU’s Devin White. Originally selected by the Buccaneers fifth overall, White has easily had the more impressive pro career of the two linebackers,” Kristopher Knox wrote.
The Steelers never had an opportunity to select White back in 2019, as he went fifth overall to the Tampa Bay Buccanneers. He played a major role in their 2020 Super Bowl run, something Knox noted. He could’ve flourished in Pittsburgh, similar to how he did early in his career with Tampa.
Bush just never worked out in Pittsburgh despite some early flashes of success, and now he’s with the Cleveland Browns and will face the Steelers twice a year. He did not end up getting picked in the re-draft, which isn’t much of a surprise given his limited NFL success over the past few seasons. One Steelers draft pick did end up getting picked, though, with WR Diontae Johnson going No. 26 to the Indianapolis Colts.
The Steelers originally took Johnson in the third round, but he developed into a Pro Bowl receiver. The Steelers traded him to the Carolina Panthers this offseason, but Johnson is certainly worthy of being a first-round selection in this re-draft. Noah Fant, who the Denver Broncos took with Pittsburgh’s original selection at No. 20 overall, went No. 32 in the re-draft to the New England Patriots.
But adding White to Pittsburgh’s defense would’ve improved the unit and given them a reliable presence at linebacker. His 140 tackles and nine sacks in 2020 would’ve been a huge boost to Pittsburgh’s defense in a season where the team started out 11-0 with Bush getting injured midseason. White would’ve certainly been an asset. In reality, he’s going to face the Steelers this season as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, as he signed a contract with the team this offseason.
It’s an interesting scenario to consider if the Steelers ended up with White instead of Bush. But it didn’t happen, and the Steelers now have the best inside linebacker room in years, with Patrick Queen, Elandon Roberts, and Payton Wilson leading the charge.
