The Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019 were facing a lot of change with Le'Veon Bell moving on to greener pastures in free agency and Antonio Brown having been shipped off the then-Oakland Raiders. The last of the Killer B's, though, Ben Roethlisberger signed a big two-year contract extension to stay in Pittsburgh a day before the 2019 NFL Draft. With their franchise signal-caller back in the fold for the foreseeable future, the attention turned to adding young players to help get the best out of the aging star who'd just led the league in passing yards the year before.
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Former Steelers linebacker Devin Bush lined up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during a regular season game in 2022.
The Steelers went big in the first round trading with the Denver Broncos to get the 10th pick overall. The team selected Michigan linebacker Devin Bush, in essence, to replace the loss of Ryan Shazier in 2017. Bush had a solid rookie season in 2019 for the team. He led Pittsburgh in solo tackles (72) and assists (37) while adding four fumble recoveries for 20 yards and a touchdown. He intercepted Baltimore Ravens quarterback, Lamar Jackson on a deep throw down the middle, during the third quarter in a Week 5 game. The next week, he snagged his second interception off Philip Rivers while adding a fumble return for a touchdown in a 24-17 Pittsburgh win.
He finished third in AP Defensive Rookie of the Year voting behind Maxx Crosby of the Raiders and winner Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers. He looked primed to take a step forward, but a brutal knee injury in a 38-7 win over the Cleveland Browns cost him the season. He struggled to live up to the expectations he set before his injury in a pair of seasons leading many to wonder if he's one of Pittsburgh's biggest draft mistakes.
Shazier on an episode of the Three Point Stance podcast presented by SteelerNation came to the defense of his successor on the naming of him as a bust. Steelers beat writer Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, on a recent episode of the North Shore Drive Podcast is also hesitant to use that term with Bush.
"He was really showing some flashes as a rookie," he said. "Maybe wasn't quite as productive early in his second season, but he was playing every snap. So, he was getting experience and turning into that every-down linebacker that the Steelers wanted him to be. Even if there were some issues in coverage."
The injury though changed everything according to Batko, he just wasn't the same player again. Maybe a change of scenery with his move to the Seattle Seahawks will help.
Steelers 2019 Draft Still Not A Good One
Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers WR Diontae Johnson makes a catch against the Indianapolis Colts.
Despite being understanding of the situation of the player, Batko still thinks the draft reflects poorly on the organization with only Diontae Johnson and Zach Gentry remaining on the team five years later. Batko noted that while the team has gotten a hit with the Diontae Johnson pick, it's not a good sign here five years later that he's the only real game-changer.
"I think this class crumbles when you look at the failure of the top of it," he said. "You think big picture on that group and that was an offseason in which the Steelers lost a lot of talent, but also lost also a lot of baggage. This draft was supposed to build that new young core around [Ben] Roethlisberger. It was a pretty critical draft when you look at it for the future of the franchise."
The team seems to be content with letting Benny Snell Jr. leave. Isaiah Buggs continues to linger in the NFL after signing an extension with the Detroit Lions. Ulysees Gilbert signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to stay with the team after being claimed off waivers when the Steelers let him go. Sutton Smith has played eight NFL games with the Las Vegas Raiders. Justin Layne has flamed out of the league.
Whether it be bad injury luck or misevaluation of talent, the 2019 draft is not trending to be one to remember. If Johnson can get back to producing as his relationship grows with Kenny Pickett, he could help lessen the blow.
Do you think the 2019 draft was a failure? Is it fair to label Bush a bust? Comment below!
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