Steelers' Bush ready to take on leadership role as rookie

The Pittsburgh Steelers likely have high expectations for Devin Bush after they traded up to draft him, but the rookie linebacker has set even loftier goals for himself in Year 1.

"I just wanted to be vocal the best I could and trust what I see, whether I was right or wrong," Bush told reporters after his first minicamp practice, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I know concepts already, I just got to learn the language - different things they call, different things they speak. I just got to get familiar with the playbook, get familiar with the language and get confident in my play-calling."

Bush was a key piece to Michigan's stout defense during the last two seasons and is already making a positive impression on his Steelers teammates.

"He's a great leader, very vocal," third-round cornerback Justin Layne said. "He's going to be good. I can tell. You can tell. He was calling the right defenses and everything. He knows what's going on."

Pittsburgh moved up 10 spots on draft night to select Bush, which gives the first-year defender extra motivation to succeed.

When asked what he wants to prove to his new team, he said, "Why I belong here, why I belong in NFL, that I'm going to play here for a long time."