One was a top-10 pick, a college All-America player the Steelers traded up to acquire in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
The other, he didn't even get invited to the NFL Scouting Combine in 2018, having to earn a spot on a 90-man roster after his second tryout with a team.
No, there aren't a lot of obvious similarities between Steelers inside linebacker Devin Bush and Robert Spillane other than the LB beside their names on the team's roster.
But looking deeper, the similarities are there.
For example, both have NFL bloodlines. Bush is the son of former Florida State star and longtime NFL player Devin Bush Sr. Spillane, meanwhile, is the grandson of former Heisman Trophy winner and Notre Dame star Johnny Lattner, who played for the Steelers in 1954 before entering the Air Force and leaving an NFL career behind.
And both are extremely hard workers who have shown they can make an impact on the field in different ways.
Spillane, it seems, will get more of an opportunity to do so moving forward for the Steelers (5-0). He replaced Bush in Sunday's 38-7 shellacking of the Browns at Heinz Field after the latter suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first half of the game. And it appears he'll get a chance to continue to replace Bush moving forward, starting this week against the Titans (5-0) in Nashville.
Irony of ironies, it was in Nashville with the Titans where Spillane's NFL career got its start.
Despite being a two-time All-MAC player at Western Michigan, Spillane went undrafted in 2018. And he wasn't signed following the draft, going the rookie camp tryout route to try to earn his spot in the NFL. At 6-foot-1, 229 pounds, he was seen as a tweener, perhaps too small to play linebacker in the NFL, something else he has in common with the 5-foot-11 Bush.
First came a failed tryout with the Vikings. After that, Spillane was waiting for his next opportunity when the Titans called.
"I didn’t have anything lined up for that next weekend. I got a call from the Titans that Thursday asking if I would get on a flight the next morning to see if I would get on a flight for their rookie minicamp," Spillane said Monday after recording five tackles, including one for a loss, in the win over the Browns. "I went out there and I knew what needed to be done to make that 90-man roster, and I just put my head down and worked and haven’t stopped since."
Spillane earned a role on the Titans' practice squad that year and was elevated to the 53-man roster midway through the year, appearing in two games before the Tennessee released him.
The Steelers signed him to a futures contract in February 2019 and he made the team's practice squad before again being released at the end of September and then resigned a few weeks later. The Steelers signed him to their active roster Nov. 5 of last year and he made an immediate impact on special teams, finishing with 11 tackles over the final eight games.
"Rob’s my guy. He’s a guy that comes in every day, doesn’t say much, really grinds, puts in the time, puts in the work, always around guys asking questions, coaches asking questions," said cornerback Cameron Sutton. "I’m really excited for him, the path that he’s on, he’s continued to grow into as a player. Obviously, what he’s been doing during his time here on special teams and limited time on defense, he’s a guy who is really embracing his roles."
His latest role could have him making his first career start in the place where his career began.
"I’m very excited to go back to Nashville and play at Nissan Stadium where my NFL journey started. I’m looking forward to that," said Spillane whose roommate for three years at Western Michigan was Titans' 2018 first-round draft pick Corey Davis, a wide receiver.
The Steelers could go a different route at inside linebacker to replace Bush, whom they traded three picks last year to move up to the 10th selection of the draft to take. Ulysees Gilbert is physically the player most like Bush on their roster. And converted safety Marcus Allen might present the best chance to replicate Bush's coverage ability.
But Spillane has been Bush's primary backup in every game this season, taking over the role filled previously by Tyler Matakevich in previous years. The coaching staff trusted him enough that he took over for Bush as the defensive play caller once the second-year linebacker was injured.
"It’s comfortable speaking with these guys. I’ve gotten so comfortable with these over the past two years," Spillane said. "As soon as I stepped onto the field, it felt like they trusted me and respected the work I’ve put in the past two years. They told me, ‘Rob, you belong out here. This is what you’re meant to do. So go out and show everybody what we know you can do.’ That felt really good coming from them."
Mike Tomlin was impressed.
"Spillane more than answered the bell," Tomlin said. "We have a great deal of confidence in him. He's a capable guy. Guys that make plays on special teams, that's usually a precursor to them making plays on defense. Since we brought him up in the middle of last year, he's been a consistent performer for us. I don't think any of us are surprised by quality play from him."
Spillane played one defensive snap for the Steelers last season. He played eight more snaps on defense in their season-opening win over the Giants in place of Vince Williams. But Sunday's game, in which he played 30 snaps, was his most extensive -- at least for now.
He's continued to work and try to achieve his dream.
"The moment you don’t believe in yourself, you start to go downhill," Spillane said. "I believe I belong here. This is what I was meant to do. I go out there and work to achieve my goals and good things happen."
His grandfather, who passed away in 2016, would have been proud.
"He’s (had) always seen the work I put in," Spillane said. "He followed me at all my football games since I was a young boy. It’s too bad that he’s not here with us now, but I know he’s looking down and he’s proud of the man I’ve become, not only as a football player, but off the field, as well. I just want to keep making my family proud because that’s what’s important."