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Steelers Named Reason Teams Shouldn't Trade Up

The Pittsburgh Steelers set a benchmark for why teams shouldn't look to trade up in the NFL Draft.

Stephen Thompson

Dec 19, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers inside linebacker Devin Bush (55)
Dec 19, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers inside linebacker Devin Bush (55) / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
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PITTSBURGH -- It seems like all options are still on the table for the Pittsburgh Steelers as the days and hours until the start of the 2024 NFL Draft tick away but one analyst points to one move that wouldn't be prudent for them to make, based on recent history.

In 2019, the Steelers dealt picks No. 20, No. 50 and a 2020 third-round pick for the 10th overall pick, which they used to take Michigan linebacker Devin Bush. Independent of how Bush's career shook out, ESPN's Seth Walder sees it as an unsound move and criticized then-general manager Kevin Colbert for wasting extra picks to overpay for their eventual first-round selection.

"The Steelers made a pricey trade-up with a 64% premium, throwing away the equivalent of a fringe first-round pick if we don't discount the future pick (and a second-round pick even if we do)," Walder wrote. "Pittsburgh had a little surplus of picks, but by trading up inefficiently it let someone else reap the reward."

Colbert cited the return from the Antonio Brown trade - one third and one fifth round pick in 2019 - as reason why they felt more comfortable trading up to land Bush. Colbert said the only reason the Steelers felt comfortable making that move at that time was because they had stockpiled some extra picks in later rounds.

Bush was outstanding during his rookie season, starting 15 games while racking up 109 total tackles, 9 tackles for loss and a pair of interceptions. But an ACL injury handicapped his next few years in Pittsburgh and the two sides parted on bitter terms when the Steelers declined his fifth-year option in 2022. He's signed one-year deals in Seattle and Cleveland ever since. In 13 games with the Seahawks last season, Bush accounted for 37 total tackles and five tackles for loss.

The Steelers could move up to take their offensive tackle or center of the future or reach for a standout wide receiver, but recent history would advise them to do otherwise.

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper. He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press. During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.