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Cincinnati Bengals: Final 7-round 2019 NFL mock draft on draft day

By Kenn Korb

SOUTH BEND, IN - NOVEMBER 18: (L-R) Jonathan Bonner #55, Jay Hayes #93 and Jerry Tillery #99 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrate a defensive stop on 4th down against the Navy Midshipmen at Notre Dame Stadium on November 18, 2017 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame defeated Navy 24-17. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - NOVEMBER 18: (L-R) Jonathan Bonner #55, Jay Hayes #93 and Jerry Tillery #99 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrate a defensive stop on 4th down against the Navy Midshipmen at Notre Dame Stadium on November 18, 2017 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame defeated Navy 24-17. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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MADISON, WI – NOVEMBER 18: Devin Bush #10 of the Michigan Wolverines intercepts a pass during the third quarter of a game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on November 18, 2017 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MADISON, WI – NOVEMBER 18: Devin Bush #10 of the Michigan Wolverines intercepts a pass during the third quarter of a game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on November 18, 2017 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

Round 1, Pick 11: Devin Bush, LB, Michigan

The linebacker spot for Cincinnati has been an underrated cesspool of ineptitude for a few seasons now. Vontaze Burfict was an undrafted hero early in his career, but his slow foot speed, countless injuries and endless suspensions quickly made him a liability even in the best of times.

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Beyond him, things have been even worse: wasted middle-to-high draft picks, failed free agent signings and endless cheap throwaway options have made the middle of the field exploitable to no end for the opposition. It is time they actually put a significant investment to fix this undying failure in roster-building.

This draft seems to offer only two high-end options in the stand-up linebacker roles, and they’re both real possibilities for the Bengals at this spot. If both are available (big if), it is Devin White (rather than Devin Bush) who the franchise should get behind. Unfortunately, there are a handful of teams (including Oakland, Tampa Bay, and Detroit) who may be inclined to grab him first. If White is gone, then Bush is still a fine selection — and the one I would expect Cincinnati will actually be in line to pick.

Bush’s measurables and combine results aren’t actually that far off from White’s (and in some cases, better), so it’s hard to call him a downgrade. He’ll play fast and cover well, giving Cincinnati their first linebacker in seemingly forever who can accomplish those two simple-sounding ideas at the same time.

He may not quite have the size to be the man in the middle for the Bengals, but at either outside linebacker spot, he should be able to be an instant starter ready to go for years to come.

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