Steely McBeam
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- Mar 20, 2019
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The Steelers traded up in the first round of this year’s draft in order to select Devin Bush with the 10th overall pick and the impetus for the move was what they were missing at linebacker in 2018.
They were missing what Ryan Shazier brought to the middle of the defense before suffering a spinal cord injury. It’s hard to expect any rookie to play at that kind of level right off the bat, but head coach Mike Tomlin has seen some early signs that the first-round pick can follow a similar trajectory.
“I thought it was a very solid performance,” Tomlin said, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “Really [it was] kind of reminiscent of Ryan Shazier’s performance in his first home preseason game a number of years ago in terms of production and getting around and making a number of plays.”
Shazier had 11 tackles and an interception in that 2014 game while Bush recorded 10 tackles against the Buccaneers last week. As long as the rookie remains healthy, he’ll get ample opportunities to show he’s the right guy to replace Shazier in Pittsburgh.