2019 NFL mock draft: Kansas City Chiefs linked with defensive help in 1st round
By Matt Conner
Devin Bush, LB, Michigan
The majority of mock drafts will likely focus not only on the Chiefs defense but specifically the secondary, but Chiefs fans know well that the heart of the defense simply hasn’t been the same since Derrick Johnson left town. While fans can hold out hope that DJ will one day return and be a coach and further his Chiefs legacy, the reality is that Brett Veach might want to add someone with his skill set to the actual position of linebacker.
Veach has already made significant moves at linebacker since his installment as general manager, from smaller moves like trading for Kevin Pierre-Louis and Reggie Ragland to signing Anthony Hitchens to a major deal. The Chiefs also signed Ben Niemann as an undrafted free agent who surprised the team by making the active roster.
The problem is that the core of inside linebackers failed to perform as expected or even close to that level through a full regular season in Bob Sutton’s defense. The team let Sutton go and will shift to a 4-3 base defense under new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, which means all the current players under contract will need to figure out a new set of expectations on them as they adjust to Spags’ blitz-heavy defense.
Enter Devin Bush, a wunderkind of a linebacker from the University of Michigan. David Kenyon of Bleacher Report believes the Chiefs will select him in the first round, a sign that Kenyon was clued in enough to the Chiefs’ defensive woes to see the disheartening play in the middle.
Looking at other mocks, it will be interesting if Bush is there because most analysts have Bush going a bit higher in the first round—often to the Pittsburgh Steelers who could use a long-term replacement for Ryan Shazier in the middle.
Bush would immediately give Chiefs the sort of legacy linebacker for a new generation to grow with the defense. Despite being an early entrant into the draft, Bush was already a captain for the Big Ten’s best defense (and he was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year). He’s earned praise for his intelligence and ability to provide a coach on the field, but his well-rounded skill set is just as good as his intangibles.