The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t made many apparent commerce blunders in current reminiscence. Former GM Kevin Colbert believed in constructing a contending staff by means of the draft, persistently hitting on early-round picks and hitting on sufficient late-round flyers to take the staff excessive. Since Omar Khan took over as GM in 2022, the Steelers have been much more aggressive within the commerce market. Buying and selling for star wideout D.Okay. Metcalf and buying and selling away George Pickens are simply the most recent strikes within the wild saga that’s marked Khan’s tenure as GM.
Whereas it’s too early to correctly consider these trades, Bleacher Report launched an article itemizing each staff’s worst commerce of the final decade. They selected the 2019 draft commerce to amass Devin Bush because the worst Steelers commerce over the past 10 years.
“The Steelers dealt their second-round decide together with a 2020 third-rounder, to maneuver up 10 spots and take Bush,” wrote Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report. “Whereas the Michigan product was extensively thought-about the second-best off-ball linebacker within the 2019 class — behind Devin White — he was nonetheless an undersized defender at what isn’t thought-about a premium place. Bush racked up 109 tackles as a rookie however was additionally credited with an alarming 14 missed tackles that season. He suffered a torn ACL in his second season and was out of Pittsburgh after solely 4 years.”
Buying and selling up within the first spherical is all the time a daring transfer that carries quite a lot of threat. The Steelers moved up 10 spots from decide 20 to choose 10 within the 2019 draft as a result of they’d further draft picks from the Antonio Brown commerce. And extra importantly, as a result of they firmly believed that Devin Bush might be a franchise-altering defender.
Pittsburgh wanted somebody to fill the within linebacker void following Ryan Shazier’s devastating damage within the 2017 season. Bush had the identical blazing velocity that made Shazier such an electrical participant (Shazier ran a 4.38 40-yard sprint; Bush ran a 4.43). Similar to Shazier at Ohio State, Bush was a defensive chief for a top-tier Large Ten program (Michigan) the place he racked up tackles, TFLs, sacks and passes defended.
On the time, and even after his rookie season, the commerce appeared to make sense. However as soon as Bush tore his ACL, he was by no means capable of regain his footing with the Steelers. Kevin Colbert and Co. believed he might be a decade-long starter at inside linebacker for Pittsburgh, and he was gone after simply 4 seasons.
Wanting again on it now, the commerce was significantly unhealthy as a result of there have been loads of gamers that the Steelers may have taken as a substitute of Bush in the identical decide vary. Bleacher Report talked about Rashan Gary, Chris Lindstrom, Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence and Jeffrey Simmons as Professional Bowlers that fell between picks 10-20 within the 2019 draft.
The Steelers not solely missed out on a type of guys, however additionally they sacrificed two future picks to maneuver up and get Devin Bush. Sadly for the Steelers, Bush won’t be the worst first-round draft decide they’ve made within the final decade (sorry Kenny Pickett). However Bush was definitely the costliest.
