Steelers set sights on top 2 inside linebackers available in NFL Draft
General manager Kevin Colbert knows the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t adequately replace Ryan Shazier in the middle of the defense last season.
One peek at the record is affirmation.
“We were 9-6-1,” Colbert said in February, “and we didn’t make the playoffs.”
The Steelers sat out the postseason for the first time since 2013, the year before Shazier joined the team as a first-round draft pick from Ohio State. With Shazier beginning his recovery from a spinal cord injury in ‘18, the Steelers signed journeyman middle linebacker Jon Bostic in free agency but were unable to secure any of the top linebacker prospects in the first round. Then, the Steelers ignored the position altogether in the draft.
This offseason, the Steelers added linebacker Mark Barron in free agency, but don’t look for the same draft scenario to play out again. The Steelers have their sights on the two top inside linebackers available — LSU’s Devin White and Michigan’s Devin Bush — and they have the collateral to acquire one.
Trades that sent Marcus Gilbert to Arizona and Antonio Brown to Oakland provided three draft picks — the Steelers have 10 overall — that can help them trade up in the first round. Armed with the No. 20 pick, the Steelers have the ammunition to climb higher. The questions is, how high?
The 6-foot, 237-pound White and Bush (5-11, 234) each left school after their junior seasons and were the consensus top two linebackers heading into the NFL Combine. Then, White and Bush dominated the workouts in Indianapolis, with White running a 4.42 40-yard dash and Bush coming in right behind at 4.43.
Now, they both might be gone before pick No. 10, let alone No. 20.
“If Devin White is the fifth pick,” ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said, “I don’t think Devin Bush can be far behind. … I think he’s one of the top 10 players in this draft.”
NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah has White listed at No. 6 and Bush No. 9 in his final list of top 100 prospects.
Both prospects possess the skills at inside linebacker the Steelers have sought since Shazier’s injury. White amassed 256 tackles over his final two years at LSU and was named the Butkus Award winner as the country’s top linebacker.
“He has the speed, range, the ability to cover, the effort, the leadership: all those traits you’re looking for in a modern linebacker,” Jeremiah said. “The leadership, the effort has been there through the test of time, but the ability to cover and run is so huge right now at that position. That’s what makes him unique. … He’s going to be a rookie of the year candidate who is going to collect a ridiculous number of tackles and explosive plays.”
Jeremiah has White rated on par with Roquan Smith, top linebacker of the 2018 class who went No. 8 overall to the Chicago Bears.
Bush had 182 tackles in his two years as a starter at Michigan. He was a Butkus finalist as a sophomore and the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year as a junior.
“He’s got some serious thump,” Jeremiah said. “He’s an excellent blitzer. He can run, cover and blitz.”
Failure to land either White or Bush in the first round means the Steelers could target Alabama’s Mack Wilson in the second. He’s considered the best of the second-tier linebackers.
“It’s kind of the two Devins and a big dropoff,” Jeremiah said.
If the Steelers are unable to trade up, they could try again with pick No. 52 in the second round, or No. 66 or No. 83 in the third.
“You want to take a linebacker more in the third-round range,” ESPN analyst Todd McShay said. “That is the sweet spot for linebackers this year.”stee
Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.
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