Green Bay Packers: 5 Targets in first round of 2019 NFL Draft
5. Devin Bush, LB, Michigan
The Packers have been looking for an athletic off-ball linebacker for years, and they have repeatedly struck out in finding one. Devin Bush would finally give them that guy up the middle.
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Bush ran a 4.43-second 40-yard dash at the combine, and he posted a better 3-cone time than the draft’s top wide receiver prospect, D.K. Metcalf. Bush isn’t the biggest guy up the middle, but he makes up for that with the athleticism that he possesses.
Green Bay has made a couple of picks over the last couple of years on players like Josh Jones and Oren Burks that have converted from safety to play down in the box, but neither of them have the proven track record that Bush does.
In his sophomore season, Bush put up some elite numbers. He finished the year with 95 tackles to go with 10 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. He also had seven passes defended during that season.
While some may not view inside linebacker as a position of weakness, the team doesn’t have a consistent player at the position outside of Blake Martinez, who is a free agent after next season. They have never valued inside linebackers that highly, and they could choose to move on from Blake if they think he costs them too much money. If they grab Bush to develop next to him for a year, that decision would be much easier.