I guess we can now say that the 2019 NFL mock draft season is officially underway as Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN released his first official estimated guess of how the first round will ultimately shake out in April.
In his first mock draft of 2018, Kiper has the Pittsburgh Steelers selecting Michigan linebacker Devin Bush at No. 20 overall and he writes:
The Steelers tied for the NFL lead with 52 sacks this season, but the weakness on defense was at inside linebacker, as they struggled to replace Ryan Shazier. The phrase I keep repeating about Bush is “perfect for today’s NFL.” He would be a great fit as a three-down linebacker who never has to leave the field. At 5-foot-11, Bush is undersized, but he should test well at the combine.
Bush, who declared for the 2019 NFL Draft as an underclassman in December, recorded 191 total tackles, 1 interception, 10 sacks and 14 total pass breakups in the 38 games he played in at Michigan. 19 of his tackles resulted in lost yardage. Bush was named the 2018 Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year by the Big 10 conference as well as the Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year. Below are his season-by-season grades that PFF has on Bush.
Bush is another young top-rated draft prospect that the Steelers are likely going to be linked to throughout the offseason as the team certainly could stand to draft an inside linebacker this year in the early rounds.
Obviously, the next time we get to see Bush in action will likely be during the 2019 NFL scouting combine. In the meantime, however, you can expect a full breakdown of Bush from one of us on the site in the coming weeks. To hold you over, below is a video that includes Bush’s top plays at Michigan.
