TheAthletic's Dane Brugler released a 223-page NFL draft guide today detailing every player in this year's draft class, a project that took 10 months to complete.
Here is a look at where he tabbed each U-M prospect on his positional big boards, where he expects them to be drafted, and a quick writeup on the bigger-named prospects:
• Devin Bush (linebacker)
Brugler tabbed Bush as the No. 1 linebacker in the entire draft and the No. 10 overall prospect, giving him a first round projection.
"He grew up around the game and has a special father-son bond, which has helped mold his football-focused mindset," the expert wrote. "Bush checks boxes for speed, instincts and tenacity, but he falls slightly below-average in the size department, which will be critiqued differently by each NFL club and system."
"He will get washed and lost in the sea of bodies near the line of scrimmage, but there is no doubting his toughness, football character and competitive drive (and it isn’t manufactured — he has a genuine energy and enjoyment for hunting the football and playing physical). Overall, Bush doesn’t have ideal take-on skills to thrive inside as a MIKE, but his ability to diagnose, his reaction quickness and his closing speed are special, projecting best as an impact starting WILL in the NFL."
• Juwann Bushell-Beatty (offensive tackle)
The writer actually slotted Bushell-Beatty as an offensive guard, and pegged him as the No. 30 guard in the draft.
"After struggling in his first year as a full-time starter in 2017, Bushell-Beatty showed improvement as a senior, starting the first 11 games before missing the Ohio State game with turf toe and opting to sit out the bowl game," the analyst explained. "Bushell-Beatty is topheavy and plays tall, but he uses his upper body strength to win the point of attack and drive defenders in the run game.
"While he works hard to find his landmarks and wall off the pocket, he lacks the lateral quickness in his slide to mirror and match athletic rushers, laboring to redirect vs. inside moves. Overall, Bushell-Beatty has heavy feet and weight-control issues, but appeared more committed as a senior and a transition inside to guard will give him a chance to make an NFL roster."
• Noah Furbush (linebacker)
The analyst named him the 80th-best edge rusher in the draft.
• Rashan Gary (defensive end)
Gary was declared the fifth-best edge rusher and the No. 13 overall prospect by Brugler, with a first-round NFL draft projection.
"His talent was clear the moment he stepped foot in Ann Arbor, but his production and body of work didn’t consistently match the hype — eight pass rushers in the 2019 NFL Draft class had more sacks in 2018 than Gary had his entire career (10.5)," Brugler revealed. "He is the poster prospect for the “traits over production” scouting motto with his freakish athletic skill and overall upside.
"He currently lacks an efficient move-to-move transition and I often found myself yelling “finish!” at the screen while studying his tape. Overall, Gary is a high risk, high reward prospect because he has rare athletic talent and natural power for his size, but he showed mediocre development in college with lingering questions about his durability and maturity."
• Zach Gentry (tight end)
Brugler slotted him as the 15th-best tight end in this year's draft, and projected him to go in either the sixth or seventh round.
"As a pass catcher, he plays like more of a tight end than former life-long quarterback, but he doesn’t play up to his size as a ball carrier or blocker," the analyst wrote. "Overall, Gentry has several tight end foundation traits with his workable frame, natural athleticism and reliable ball skills, but he is underdeveloped as a blocker, route runner and after-the-catch threat, requiring patience while he continues his tight end maturation."
• Karan Higdon (running back)
Brugler pegged him as the No. 23 overall running back and anticipated him to be selected in either the sixth or seventh round of the draft.
"A two-year starter at Michigan, Higdon took over the starting duties as a junior and grew into the workhorse of the Wolverines run game as a senior in 2018 (in his 13 career 100-yard rushing games, Michigan has a perfect 13-0 record)," the analyst said.
"Although he is only an average athlete, he flashes some burst through the hole, [26] doing his best on outside zone blocking plays. The biggest difference between his junior and senior tape was his improved decision-making, showing toughness on each carry to maximize runs. Overall, Higdon doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses as a runner, but he lacks any dynamic traits that project him more than an average NFL backup."
• Casey Hughes (cornerback/safety)
Hughes was slotted as the No. 99 overall cornerback.
• Tyree Kinnel (safety)
He was tabbed as the No. 26 safety and given the grade of 'Priority Free Agent.'
"Kinnel is a smaller-framed, compact safety who sees plays developing pre-snap and puts himself in position to work around road blocks, taking the quickest angle to the ball," Brugler explained. "He trusts his instincts and packs a punch at contact, although he needs to clean up his technique to be a more consistent finisher.
"Overall, Kinnel isn’t a playmaker in coverage, but his physical nature in the run game and on special teams is his best quality, projecting similarly to current free agent Eddie Pleasant, who carved out a modest NFL career after going undrafted."
• David Long (cornerback)
Long was placed as the ninth-best corner and the No. 72 overall player, with Brugler projecting him to go in either the second or third round.
"His college production was underwhelming, but he wasn’t routinely challenged on tape," the writer noted. "Long plays nose-to-nose in press with the lateral slide to match releases and attach himself to patterns, staying balanced with his punch and transition.
"While patient at the line, he tends to panic, grip and grab at the top of routes and can be manipulated by savvy receivers. Overall, Long needs to develop a more disciplined approach with his reads and contact downfield, but he is a composed athlete with hip fluidity and physical mentality, projecting best in the nickel."
• Lawrence Marshall (defensive tackle)
Brugler named him the No. 66 defensive linemen in the draft.
• Bryan Mone (defensive tackle)
The expert tabbed Mone as the No. 57 overall defensive linemen.
• Grant Perry (wide receiver)
He was pegged as the No. 104 wide receiver.
• Jared Wangler (fullback)
Brugler slotted him as the 22nd-best fullback.
• Brandon Watson (cornerback)
Watson was tabbed as the No. 39 overall cornerback.
• Chase Winovich (defensive end)
Brugler anointed Winovich the No. 9 edge rusher and the No. 60 overall player in the draft, projecting him to go in either the second or third round. "Winovich’s ability to rush with angled bend while fending off blockers is the key to his game, crediting his training in ballet, jiu-jitsu and boxing to his growth as an edge rusher," the expert noted.
"His extroverted personality will rub some the wrong way, but his competitive drive also fuels his disruptive effort. Overall, Winovich doesn’t have the size, length or explosive traits that NFL teams desire on the edge, but he finds ways to detach from blockers with his flexibility, active hands and relentless play style, projecting as a stand-up rusher in a 3-4 scheme."
Will Bush be Selected Ahead of Gary?
SportsIllustrated's Albert Breer released an article titled 'Monday Morning Quarterbacking' today where he discussed several topics from all across the sports world, and included a few quick thoughts on Michigan linebacker Devin Bush and defensive end Rashan Gary.
Both are expected to be first-round NFL draft picks later this month, with Gary widely viewed as a top-15 selection and Bush anywhere from the mid-teens to the final picks of the first round.
Breer, however, is very high on Bush and explained why:
"One thing I always find interesting is how coaches intertwine themselves into the process this time of year, and how their assessments of players can affect those players’ stock," he explained. "So I’ve got three guys here who, from what I understand, have benefitted from the coaches’ involvement.
"One is Missouri quarterback Drew Lock, as we mentioned in Thursday’s Game Plan column—he’s sharp, and has good presence, and talent to work with. Another is Michigan linebacker Devin Bush. The consensus is that the smallish Bush is behind LSU’s Devin White as the second off-ball linebacker in the class, but some coaches actually like the son of former NFL safety of the same name better."
Breer, however, also explained that not only does he think Bush may go ahead of Gary, but that the latter has some legitimate concerns surrounding him that could cause him to slide a bit in the draft.
"Bush’s Michigan teammate Rashan Gary is a good bet to go a little lower than some expect—especially for someone with his athletic profile—and I’m told teams further down in the first round are doing work on him to prepare for the possibility he falls," the writer revealed.
"Gary came in at 6’5” and 277 pounds in Indy, ran a 4.58 40, posted a 38-inch vertical and a 10-foot broad jump. He can play inside or out. And he plays hard. But questions have persisted about the former No. 1 overall high school recruit’s production.
"He’s still raw, and that may cause questions about coaching, except that the guy who played opposite him at Michigan—Chase Winovich—was a very technically sound and evolved defensive lineman, and more productive than Gary.
“Clearly, the coaching was available to him,” said one scout. So the difficulty teams have had in seeing the gap between talent and impact is leading some teams to backing off of Gary. At one point he was a top-10 lock. At this point that’s definitely not the case. In fact, it seems like there’s a decent chance Bush goes ahead of him."
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