Steelers’ draft success hinges on Bush soaring

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin increasingly talks about “position-less” football and the ever growing need to find players who can’t just do one thing, but many.

Ryan Shazier might have been the embodiment of that movement until a spinal injury suffered in December 2017 halted the star linebacker’s career just as it was ascending.

After waiting a season turning to experienced players while trying to fill a void that is in many ways unfillable, the Steelers didn’t sit on their hands hoping Michigan’s Devin Bush would fall to them with the 20th overall.

They attacked.

The aggressive and decidedly un-Steelerlike choice to move up 10 spots in a trade with Denver to make sure they landed the do-everything Bush is a testament to both the organization’s belief in his talent and the team’s very pressing need to find a difference-maker next to inside linebacker Vince Williams.

“If he helps us win a Super Bowl then it was a good pick,” Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said. “Does he have the capabilities? We believe so.”

Pittsburgh split its remaining eight picks between offense and defense, addressing the departure of All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown and three-time Pro Bowl running back Le’Veon Bell while also providing the secondary with a dash of size and finding some depth at tight end and along the defensive line.

A flurry of late-round picks focused on players who can fit in at multiple positions will help provide depth, even if the players selected never play a down of meaningful football, in Pittsburgh anyway.

“You need to provide as many avenues as you can for those guys to make your team, or impact your team,” Tomlin said.

WHO THEY GOT

Bush will get most of the attention because he figures to get mixed in almost immediately with Williams and veteran Mark Barron — who signed as a free agent — after the Steelers cut linebacker Jon Bostic on Saturday shortly after the draft ended.

Wide receiver Diontae Johnson out of Toledo shares a ton of similarities with Brown, while 6-foot-2 cornerback Justin Layne could provide a physical presence on the outside.

Kentucky running back Benny Snell Jr. was relentlessly productive for the Wildcats and joins a group that includes James Conner and Jaylen Samuels. Tight end Zach Gentry from Michigan provides some depth after Jesse James left for the Detroit Lions.

The Steelers took a pair of linebackers (Sutton Smith and Ulysees Gilbert III) in the sixth round sandwiched between mammoth Alabama defensive end Isaiah Buggs.

Offensive lineman Derwin Gray gives Pittsburgh a big body to throw in the mix after veteran Marcus Gilbert was traded to Arizona.