SI.com NFL insider Albert Breer wrote his 2019 NFL mock draft and predicts the Denver Broncos take Michigan LB Devin Bush.
The Denver Broncos seem to be the team most connected with Michigan linebacker Devin Bush on the Monday prior to the 2019 NFL Draft.
Peter King of NBC/FMIA predicted in his 2019 mock draft that the Broncos would end up with Bush along with Missouri QB Drew Lock in this year’s draft class. I think most Broncos fans would be on board with that scenario.
Albert Breer of SI.com and MMQB put together his first-round mock draft, and unlike King’s, his didn’t include trades.
Breer did predict — like King — that the Broncos would select Michigan’s star linebacker with the 10th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
"DENVER BRONCOSNeeds: ILB, TE, CWhat I know: Their connection to Drew Lock stretches all the way back to the Senior Bowl. And I’m going to say…they punt on the QBs this year. Michigan LB Devin Bush has gotten hot of late with coaches involved in the process. And word is that new Broncos coach Vic Fangio, fresh off coaching Chicago’s defense, may see a little Roquan Smith in Bush.With the 10th pick: Devin Bush, LB, MichiganAlbert Breer"
Breer has a couple of very interesting notes here.
The first note I find interesting is the comment he made about Bush getting ‘hot of late’ now that coaches are involved in the evaluation process. That comment, coupled with his nugget of information that Fangio may see ‘a little Roquan Smith’ in Bush is a bit alarming.
Vic Fangio just said at the NFL owner meetings he didn’t think Bush or LSU’s Devin White were on par with Smith as a prospect. Was he lying or had he just not seen enough to be convinced?
Or perhaps Fangio got a strong endorsement on Bush from his old pal Jim Harbaugh. Fangio coached for a few years in San Francisco with Harbaugh and probably should have been Harbaugh’s successor as head coach when Harbaugh went to Michigan.
Fangio and Harbaugh also coached together at Stanford, so their working relationship is very strong. If Fangio has warmed up to Devin Bush as a possible top pick for this team, I would guess a huge assist goes to Harbaugh.
Obviously, Fangio is not the one making the final calls for the NFL Draft. John Elway is. With that said, Elway will work with everyone in the draft room to make sure they’re all on the same page with picks.
If Elway and Fangio believe Bush can help this defense take the next step in 2019 and he’s an ideal fit for Fangio’s defense, I could see this pick being made.
Would I personally pick Devin Bush at number 10 overall? I’m not so sure. I don’t think linebacker is as big of a need for the Broncos as interior offensive line or tight end, but then again, you don’t draft for need all the time.
There are so many different directions the Broncos could go, but if they want to target Bush, I hope they would try to trade down and acquire more picks beforehand.