2019 NFL draft: Analyzing the value of six Michigan football prospects

Free Press sports writer Nick Baumgardner looks at Michigan football's top 2019 NFL draft candidates. The draft is Thursday-Saturday in Nashville, Tenn.

Devin Bush Jr., LB (5-11, 234)

It’s hard to find someone who helped himself more than Bush at the NFL combine in Indianapolis earlier this year. The process started when Bush measured 5 feet 11, the exact height Michigan listed him at during his three years on campus. Not exactly ideal, but much better than the alternative and something scouts appear to be more than willing to overlook.

His profile starts with his speed. Bush ran a blistering 4.43 40-yard dash time at the combine, placing himself with LSU’s Devin White as the top inside linebackers in this year’s draft. Bush’s stock has risen from a fringe/low first-rounder to a possible top-10 pick. He was a two-time All-American at Michigan with loads of great clips on tape. He was the best player on one of the country’s top-rated defenses the past two years.

More:Devin Bush on cusp of NFL with a style all his own: 'You won't break' him

Bush is close to the prototype when discussing modern linebacker play. In addition to his top-notch athleticism, Bush’s football IQ – as the son of a coach and former NFL first-rounder – is also as high as it gets.

What Mel Kiper Jr. said: "I thought he might get to 20 for Pittsburgh several times during the process, but everybody's so positive on Devin Bush. Game-to-game consistency. Loves the game. Today's NFL fits him perfectly. There's not much (separation) between him and (LSU's) Devin White." 

Mock drafts:

NFL.com — No. 12, Green Bay

ESPN — No. 10, Denver

CBS — No. 11, Cincinnati 

NFL.com, seven-rounds — No. 20, Pittsburgh

Rashan Gary, DL (6-4, 277)

Physically, Gary – as expected – tested off the charts during his NFL combine weekend. A prospect with elite physical measurements since midway through his high school career, the former No. 1-ranked recruit in the country ran a 4.58-second 40-yard dash, jumped 38 inches vertically and had great times in both the 3-cone and 20-yard shuttle runs. However, football isn’t played on a track or in a T-shirt and shorts.

Production, and possibly health concerns, have caused several to suggest Gary’s draft stock could be sliding as the draft approaches. On Tuesday, the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that Gary has a labrum injury that has been flagged by teams and may require surgery after the 2019 season. Once viewed as a near consensus top 10 pick, Gary’s a player Kiper has pegged at somewhere between 13 and 19 overall. Though he’s heard his range bottoms out as low as No. 28.

More:Rashan Gary a 'polarizing' prospect, NFL draft stock may be sliding

He’s still almost surely a first-round pick, but Gary’s lack of production (10 sacks in three years) and injury issues (he missed three games and parts of two others last year) have left plenty of questions. Also, whether or not Gary’s a defensive tackle or a defensive end in the NFL is a debate.

What Kiper said: "You thought he would be top five, top 10 based on physical talent and the way he tested at the combine. But then the lack of production. The lack of sack production. Ten sacks in 34 games. That's pushed him (down). ... Some teams may figure once he's in the NFL, we can coach him up and get the sack production. Some others may say 'Hey, Chase Winovich was getting production. In the backfield getting production, he was coached by the same staff in the same scheme.' "

Mock drafts:

NFL.com — No. 13, Miami

ESPN — No. 18, Minnesota

CBS — No. 12, Green Bay (traded to Carolina)

NFL.com, seven rounds — No. 17, New York Giants

Chase Winovich, LB/DE (6-3, 256)

Unlike Gary, nearly everything about Winovich’s draft stock is tied to the enormous amount of production he put together during his final two years at Michigan. It also didn’t hurt that Winovich turned a few heads when he ran a 4.59 40 at the combine, and showed plenty of agility in the 3-cone and 20-yard shuttle drills. But being Michigan’s most productive pass rusher in 2017 and 2018 has Winovich approaching a firm second-round grade from many evaluators.

There was some conversation early in the draft process about whether or not he could slide into the first round. Nothing’s impossible, though he’s still a bit of a tweener position-wise. Any odd-front team is going to want Winovich to be a standup rush linebacker, something he hasn’t done since early in his career at Michigan. Whether or not he’s strong enough to hold up against the run with his hand on the ground in the NFL could also be a concern.

Winovich’s film doesn’t lie, though. He got to the quarterback faster than anyone on the team and a large number of his sacks and pressures were purely a result of effort.

More:Chase Winovich proves he's more than a motor guy

What Daniel Jeremiah said: “I don’t know that you’ll find anybody that plays harder than him. He could be an extra in that ‘Point Break’ movie, he looks like Patrick Swayze’s brother in that movie. He goes 100 miles an hour, the Energizer Bunny. He has some of that push-pull, where he’ll push you back and then pull you down to the ground. Did that several times. ... He’s a really, really solid player. For me, one of the more fun guys to watch in the process.”

Mock drafts: 

ESPN — No. 46 (second round), Washington

CBS — No. 47 (second round), Carolina

NFL.com, seven rounds — No. 45 (second round), Atlanta

David Long, CB (5-11, 196)

Long, like Gary and Bush, opted to skip his senior year at Michigan in favor of the draft. And, so far, he has had relatively positive reviews as a prospect some weren’t familiar with at first. Long had a very good combine, running a 4.45 40 and jumping 39.5 inches on his vertical leap. He and current Michigan senior Lavert Hill put up terrific pass coverage numbers over the course of two years together, as Long earned All-Big Ten first-team honors as a junior.

He put consistent coverage work on tape, starting 26 straight games to close his three-year Michigan career. His best football is in front of him, as Long was a late convert from receiver to cornerback in high school.

What Kiper said: "He tested well and I thought he played well. We were looking at Lavert Hill and all of sudden, there's David Long. Everybody seemed to think he was right with Hill or slightly ahead. When you look at Long with the physicality in the way he plays in addition to being a good cover guy, I think he's a solid to early mid-(second round pick) and I think he'll be a guy who has a very solid career in the NFL. He's risen a bit through the process. No negatives, just seems like a solid progression up the board to where it seems like he could go very early Friday night." 

Mock drafts:

ESPN — No. 49 (second round), Cleveland

CBS — No. 89 (third round), Indianapolis

NFL.com, seven rounds — No. 88 (third round), Detroit

Karan Higdon, RB (5-9, 206)

Higdon’s college career turned the corner midway through his junior season and led to 1,971 yards and 19 touchdowns over his final 19 games at Michigan. He’s an outstanding outside zone runner, as a large chunk of his yardage as a senior came off his ability to make proper zone reads, plant his foot and blast through gaps without hesitation. He proved faster than most originally thought he was, turning in a 4.49-second 40-yard dash at the combine.

Higdon doesn’t have a lot of wear and tear on his body, as he was only a full-time starter for that final 19-game stretch of his college career. He’s far from the most explosive back in the draft and plenty of teams entered the process wondering how versatile he might be in terms of a pass catcher out of the backfield. He’s not huge and he’s not a track star. But he is a steady player who could hear his name called on Day 3.

More:Karan Higdon: I wrestled 'a lot' with skipping Peach Bowl

What Kiper said: "You look at Karan Higdon, running backs always drop a little further than they should. But I'd say fifth round would be a good spot for him." 

Mock drafts:

CBS — No. 217 (seventh round), Seattle

NFL.com, seven rounds — No. 228 (seventh round, Miami)

Zach Gentry, TE (6-8, 265)

The good news? He’s a ball of clay at the tight end position. He came to Michigan in 2015 as a quarterback before coach Jim Harbaugh began to transition him into the tight end room. He spent the following two years putting on weight and gaining confidence at a new position. That led to a productive 2018, as the fourth-year junior had 32 catches for 514 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The bad news? He had problems with drops during his final year and turned in a subpar 4.9-second 40-yard dash at the combine. He claimed to have improved his time at Michigan’s pro day, saying he was in the low 4.6s to 4.7s. Still, the 4.9 happened. He can’t erase that.

Gentry’s measurables are outstanding. If he'd showed better speed during the draft process, he might have found himself as a riser. But that has been an area of concern. His best bet is to be a flex tight end in the NFL, as his blocking is a long way from being NFL ready.

What Jeremiah said: “I don’t think he should have come out with the draft class at that position as good as it is. He’s got a big body and catch radius, but more of a wall-you-off (guy) without a lot of separation or run after the catch. He’s enormous (at 6-foot-8), but that’s more of a project to me. More of a fifth- or sixth-round project.”

Mock drafts:

CBS — No. 216 (seventh round), Kansas City

Other draftable candidates

S Tyree Kinnel, OG/OT Juwann Bushell-Beatty, DT Bryan Mone, DB Brandon Watson. 

Contact Nick Baumgardner at nbaumgardn@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickbaumgardner. Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter.