Thursday night was the first round of the NFL draft and the Pittsburgh Steelers were supposed to have the 20th pick. The Steelers shocked many when they traded up with the Denver Broncos to get the tenth pick.

The Steelers selected All-American linebacker Devin Bush Jr. out of Michigan. Bush is the highest-ranked Michigan football player selected in the draft since offensive tackle Jake Long went No. 1 overall in the 2008 draft.

The Steelers knew that Bush was not going to fall down to the 20th pick. So they traded up 10 spots to get Bush, whom they think can be a future star at the linebacker position.

The Steelers swapped first-round picks with the Broncos, and also gave up the 52nd overall pick and a third-rounder in 2020.

The Steelers loved what Bush did at Michigan, but he also impressed a lot of people at the NFL combine. Bush ran a 4.43 second 40-yard dash.

The Steelers are usually conservative, which makes this trade for the tenth pick surprising.

The problem the Steelers had last year with their defense was getting beat in the middle of the field by tight ends and running backs. Drafting Bush should change that, and with his great speed, he should make an immediate impact.

Bush will provide a strong replacement for Ryan Shazier, who suffered that tragic back injury in December 2017 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

This was a great move by the Pittsburgh Steelers to trade up and pick up Bush. He is a great talent and will make the team’s defense much better than last year’s defense.