NFL Draft ILB breakdown: Elite talent at top

The NFL Draft is Thursday-Saturday in Nashville, Tenn. Each day leading up to the first round, the Tribune-Review is compiling a positional preview of the top draft prospects.

Today: Inside linebackers

1. Devin White

LSU, 6-0, 237

Already considered the top inside linebacker heading into the NFL Combine, White solidified his position by running a 4.42 40-yard dash. He also had a 39.5-inch vertical jump. White was a two-time, first-team all-conference pick at LSU, and he won the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker after his junior year. He led the team with 123 tackles (12 for loss). He also had three sacks, six passes defensed and three forced fumbles. He had an SEC-high 133 tackles as a sophomore.

2. Devin Bush

Michigan, 5-11, 234

A two-time starter at Michigan, Bush was name the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2018 and a second-team All-American after recording a team-high 80 tackles, including 9.5 for loss. He also had five sacks and broke up six passes in 12 games. He had 102 tackles and five sacks as a sophomore. At the NFL Combine, Bush ran a 4.43 40-yard dash and had a 40.5-inch vertical jump.

3. Mack Wilson

Alabama, 6-1, 240

Wilson is the best of the second-tier inside linebackers and is considered a second-round pick. He had 71 tackles, including five for loss, as a junior. He also had two interceptions and five passes defensed in his final season. He played in 27 games at Alabama in his first two seasons, making two starts. He thrived in the NCAA championship game win against Georgia after the 2017 season, finishing with 12 tackles.

4. Vosean Joseph

Florida, 6-1, 230

Joseph starred at Norland High, the same school that produced Antonio Brown, before he headed to Gainesville. Joseph started 21 games over his sophomore and junior seasons before declaring for the draft. As a junior, he had a team-high 93 tackles, including nine for loss. He also had four sacks and five passes defensed.

5. Germaine Pratt

N.C. State, 6-2, 240

Pratt earned a starting spot as a senior at N.C. State after playing as a backup in his first three seasons. In 2018, he was named first-team all-conference after making 104 tackles, including a team-best 10.5 for loss. He also had six sacks. He rotated at linebacker as a junior and had 69 tackles (5.5 for loss), two interceptions and two passes defensed.

6. Tre Lamar

Clemson, 6-3, 253

Lamar was a finalist for the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker in 2018, his junior season. He started 14 games for the national champions, recording 85 tackles (5.5 for loss), three sacks and an interception. Lamar started eight of 10 games as a sophomore but missed the end of the season with a stinger. He also contributed as a freshman.

7. Te’Von Coney

Notre Dame, 6-1, 234

A three-year starter at Notre Dame, Coney had a team-high 123 tackles, including 9.5 for loss, in 2018. He also had four sacks, one interception and four passes defensed. As a junior, he also led the Fighting Irish with 116 tackles, including 13 for loss, and added three sacks. He made nine starts as a sophomore.

8. Cameron Smith

USC, 6-2, 238

Smith returned to USC for his senior season in 2018, but he didn’t quite put up the same type of numbers he did as a junior, when he was named first-team all-conference. That season, he led the Trojans with 112 tackles, including 11 for loss. He had one interception and broke up three passes. In his final year, he led USC with 81 tackles in 10 games. He had 7.5 tackles for loss and four passes defensed.

9. Ben Burr-Kirven

Washington, 6-0, 230

Burr-Kirven traveled across the country and was one of the Steelers’ top-30 visitors in the predraft process. He played extensively as a freshman and sophomore before moving into the starting lineup. He had 84 tackles in 13 games as a junior and was named first-team All-American and Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in his senior year. He led the nation with 176 tackles to go with two sacks, two interceptions, six passes defensed, three fumble recoveries and four forced fumbles.

10. Bobby Okereke

Stanford, 6-1, 239

A three-year starter at Stanford, Okereke recorded a team-high 96 tackles in his senior season. He had 7.5 tackles for loss, including 3.5 sacks. He also had five passes defensed and forced two fumbles. He had 96 tackles as a junior and 41 as a sophomore. In those two seasons, he combined for seven sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss.

Homegrown

David Long

West Virginia, 5-11, 227

Although he is a bit undersized, Long made big plays for the Mountaineers as a two-year starter. He was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2018 and second-team All-American after recording a team-high 111 tackles, including 19 for loss, and eight sacks. Long was named WVU’s defensive player of the year in 2017 when he had 16.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. He made an unofficial visit to the Steelers in the predraft process.

Best fit for Steelers

Bush

The Steelers are coveting an inside linebacker, but the question is whether Bush will be there at No. 20. Trading some draft capital would enable the Steelers to move higher and take Bush. The Steelers have liked him from the outset, and general manager Kevin Colbert and coach Mike Tomlin each scouted Michigan’s pro day.