First Call: Even if Devin Bush gets healthy, Steelers still may look to draft another Ryan Shazier; appreciating Tyson Alualu's return

In Tuesday’s “First Call,” we go heavy on the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL Draft.

Monday marked a happy anniversary in that regard. We look at why inside linebacker continues to make sense as a potential first-round option for the club and how Tyson Alualu bailed out the team by deciding to return.

Also, an ex-Penguin continues to shine in St. Louis.

Looking for another Shazier … again?

At “Breakfast With Benz,” we’ve already addressed why the Steelers might be thinking inside linebacker in the first round of Thursday’s NFL Draft.

It’s not enough to have one player like Devin Bush anymore. You need two. Just look at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ use of Lavonte David and Devin White.

So, in other words, the Steelers are still chasing Ryan Shazier’s replacement, even if Bush comes back healthy from his ACL injury.

“When we drafted Ryan Shazier, we drafted him years ago, and he was kind of an outlier or precursor to who is a common discussion now,” head coach Mike Tomlin said Monday. “A guy that’s capable of running with anyone, covering and playing in all circumstances. I think that’s more the norm now than it was then. So I think there’s less significant discussions about the makeup or the look of (inside linebackers), and that’s just what they look like. In terms of the draft pool, I think there’s a lot of guys, and guys that we’re excited about.”

Penn State’s Micah Parsons and Notre Dame’s Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah are probably the best of the bunch. Ohio State products Baron Browning and Pete Werner, Zaven Collins (Tulsa), Jamin Davis (Kentucky), Jabril Cox (LSU) and Nick Bolton (Missouri) have all been targeted to the Steelers over the past few months on various mock draft boards in the first or second rounds.

All about Alualu

Tyson Alualu’s decision to return to Pittsburgh in free agency despite getting an offer from the Jacksonville Jaguars helped the Steelers in many ways.

Not only did it maintain the Steelers starter at nose tackle in the base 3-4 defense, it also kept their depth at defensive end since Alualu can back up both spots.

And it avoided the need to fill a starting roster spot in a draft class that is believed to be remarkably thin along the defensive line.

Want confirmation? Ask Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert.

“There’s very limited depth in this year’s draft on the defensive line. It’s probably as lean as it’s been in recent memory,” Colbert said Monday.

Not only that, but the Steelers are also thin at the position as well when it comes to players currently on the depth chart after Alualu, Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt.

So Alualu’s quiet return to Pittsburgh may be closer in value to that of JuJu Smith-Schuster’s decision — or at least that of Vince Williams — than we gave it credit for when it was first announced.

Happy Polamaluversary

Monday marked the 18th anniversary of the Steelers drafting Troy Polamalu.

On April 26, 2003, the franchise traded up to acquire the USC safety with the 16th pick in the first round.

How did that work out? Need a highlight refresher?

Polamalu went on to be — so far — the only Hall of Famer from that draft.

More points for Perron

Few Penguins drove me more insane than David Perron. A talented player who never produced to the level of his perceived skill. A guy who just seemed to hope that points would come his way by virtue of the skating bird emblem on his sweater and volume of ice time.

After being acquired from Edmonton in January 2015, Perron totaled all of 38 points in 86 games with the Penguins. Then he was shipped to Anaheim for Carl Hagelin. And I was thrilled.

Hagelin certainly worked out well in Pittsburgh, as he was part of two Stanley Cup runs. But life has gotten much better for Perron, too.

He tallied 66 points in 70 games with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017-18. He won a Stanley Cup as a valuable contributor in his third stint with the St. Louis Blues in 2019. And now he is tied for the team’s scoring lead at 45 points in 46 games.

He had a goal and two assists Monday night in a 4-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche.

Faulk, Perron, that doesn't matter.
What does matter is it's 3-0. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/X130LXuuGG

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) April 27, 2021

As of now, the Blues have 48 points. That’s good for fourth place and the last playoff spot in the West Division. But they are just one point in front of the fifth-place Arizona Coyotes.

Perron’s ex-Penguins teammate Phil Kessel leads Arizona with 37 points.