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Ryan Shazier Recalls Keith Butler Telling Him ‘We’re Probably Not Gonna Draft A Linebacker’ During Visit

The Pittsburgh Steelers made one of their best decisions of the past decade in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft when they selected inside linebacker Ryan Shazier. He proved to be one of the very best players coming out of college that year, certainly among those drafted later than him, and he is an even better person than he was a player.

Yet he was under the impression that they weren’t going to take him. Why? Well, his soon-to-be position coach, Keith Butler, told him during a team visit that he didn’t think the Steelers were interested in drafting a linebacker that high that year.