Vince Williams 'excited' to see Steelers plug top pick Devin Bush into defense

Vince Williams wouldn’t say he was impressed, but Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Devin Bush certainly has made a strong first impression on the veteran inside linebacker.

Bush has lined up next to Williams in the Steelers’ first-team defense in the first two days of organized team activities at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex this week. Despite being a rookie, Bush is calling the defense.

“He’s amazing. He’s smart, top-tier athletically and loves football,” Williams said. “I wouldn’t say impressed. Impressed would be more like surprised. I’m not really surprised. He seemed like a sharp guy. … After a couple conversations with him, I could see he’s very intelligent.”

Williams said he was “excited” when the Steelers traded up 10 spots to select Bush with the No. 10 pick in the NFL Draft last month, knowing that they were prioritizing the position after signing veteran Mark Barron as a free agent.

“We added some more playmakers to the defense,” Williams said. “We’re going to need him, man. You don’t draft a guy in the top 10 unless you’re ready to put him in there, plug him in and let him make plays. I’m just happy that he’s available to do that.”

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Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter covering the Pirates. A Baldwin native and Penn State graduate, he joined the Trib in 1999 and has covered high school sports, Pitt football and basketball and was a sports columnist for 10 years. He can be reached at kgorman@triblive.com.