Kevin Gorman: Devin Bush wants to put Steelers ILB job on 'lock, like his ponytail

Devin Bush has football in his blood and on his brain, as the rookie inside linebacker has impressed the Pittsburgh Steelers with his athleticism and his ability to absorb the playbook.

But Bush believes it’s also in his hair.

James Conner made waves with his modern-day mullet for the season opener at Cleveland last year — business up front, party in the back — but it was a temporary look for the Steelers running back.

Bush gave a glimpse of his fashion sense at the NFL Draft, where his custom holster-inspired suit stole the show on the red carpet. What caught my eye was his signature hairstyle, a high-top fade in the front with what looks like a braided ponytail in the back.

Bush’s look is here to stay.

“I usually do my own thing and love what I do. I’m OK with the way I look and not afraid to show who I am,” Bush said. “My hair’s been through everything with me, too. I went to high school, college and I accomplished a lot of things with this hairstyle, so I don’t think it’s going to leave me.”

Now, don’t get it misconstrued. Bush doesn’t believe his hair has any superpowers, like Samson’s did. But Bush has off-the-charts athleticism for a 5-foot-11, 235-pounder and the aptitude to sign his NFL rookie contract the morning of organized team activities and call plays in his practice that afternoon.

The Steelers envision Bush becoming the quarterback of their defense and the replacement for Ryan Shazier, and he made positive impressions at their rookie minicamp, OTAs and mandatory minicamp.

“He loves the game. It’s a joy to coach him,” Steelers inside linebackers coach Jerry Olsavsky said. “He’s very talented athletically. He likes it, so he likes to hit people and he knows what the game’s about. I’m real happy to have him.”

Olsavsky also is happy to have Bush playing his position and wearing his number on the Steelers, even if the former is a nod to his godfather and not his position coach. The No. 10 overall pick has pedigree as son and namesake of a former NFL first-round pick, safety Devin Sr., and the godson of a Hall of Fame linebacker, Derrick Brooks, who also wore No. 55 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“It just goes to show you how blessed I am with the position I’m in,” Bush said. “I don’t take anything for granted. Not many people have a father who played in the NFL and your godfather is a Hall of Famer, so it’s crazy to have those resources at my fingertips and be able to pick up the phone and talk to any of those guys.”

But Bush can thank his mother for the haircut.

Bush was in the seventh grade when he started growing dreadlocks. That was his original look, and he kept them for a decade. That ended in his sophomore year at Michigan, when Kesha Bush chastised her son for his hairstyle.

“My mom was like, ‘You’re on TV and you look a mess and your hair’s not done,’ ” Bush said, laughing while mimicking her voice Thursday inside the Steelers locker room after the final practice of minicamp at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.

The hairstyle, however, was all his idea.

Bush had the dreads cut off — most of them, anyway — before he had an epiphany midway through his haircut.

That’s how the remaining dreadlocks are twisted into a thick braid in the back of his head.

“The guy was cutting them off and cutting them off and I looked to my right and saw myself in the mirror,” Bush said. ‘I saw the back and said, ‘That looks pretty cool. Let’s try something.’ We started talking and he started cutting my hair and I said, ‘You don’t have to cut the rest. Just fix my hair in the front.’ ”

It’s a distinctive look in a city that embraced Santonio Holmes for his dreadlocks and Troy Polamalu for his shoulder-length curls. It’s no coincidence Bush is embracing both, as the Steelers traded up 10 spots to select him, just as they had moved up in the draft to take Polamalu and Holmes in the first round. Both were prominent players for Mike Tomlin on the Super Bowl XLIII champions.

“I’m trying to be just like those guys, to be in the company of them and sit on this pedestal,” Bush said. “It’s my own look. Everybody’s got their own look. Jerome Bettis was The Bus, Troy Polamalu had the hair and the list goes on.

“I’ve got a ponytail.”

A ponytail that he put on ‘lock, and a position he wants to do the same with the Steelers.

That’s a distinctive look, one that would put Devin Bush on a pedestal in Pittsburgh.

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