The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1111798
MAY 2019 THE WOLVERINE 29 Bush became the first Wolverine to go in the top 10 since offensive tackle Jake Long went No. 1 overall to the Miami Dolphins in 2008, and the first Maize and Blue defender to be se- lected within the first 10 picks since cornerback Charles Woodson went No. 4 to the Oakland Raiders in 1998. In fact, from 2006-16, U-M only saw four of its players taken in the opening stanza, but with Bush and Gary each going in the first round the program has matched that total since 2017 alone. The two stand as U-M's first duo to go among the first 12 picks of the same NFL Draft since 1945, when Elroy Hirsch (fifth) and Don Lund (seventh) both went in the top 10. The other years that Michigan saw at least two of its athletes chosen in the NFL Draft's opening round were 1941, 1945, 1972, 1978, 1995, 2001, 2005 and 2017. Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin — whose team grabbed two U-M players in Bush and Gentry — was asked specifically what is so ap- pealing about competitors from Ann Arbor, and he provided an enthusias- tic and detailed response. "You just get that feeling when you walk into Schembechler Hall and see The Big House in the background, it lets you know you're in the right place," he exclaimed to the NFL Net- work crew April 27 during the final day of the draft. "Certain kids are at- tracted to programs — like Michigan — that have a history, tradition and legacy that is centered around core values and football. "When you see a kid like Gentry make a conscious decision to move from New Mexico to Michigan, it's attractive to us. The aspects that bring those young men to a place like U-M attract other young men who see that." BUSH AND GARY EACH JOIN ELITE U-M COMPANY When Bush and Gary both heard their names called in the first round, they joined an elite list of former U-M players at their respective positions. The Maize and Blue have only had three linebackers and four defensive ends ever selected in the first round of the draft, with Bush and Gary becom- ing the fourth and fifth, respectively, at their positions. In fact, with Bush coming off the board at No. 10 and Gary at No. 12, they also became the second-highest drafted Wolverines at their respective positions. If Bush would have been chosen just one spot higher, he would have tied Mel Owens in 1981 for the high- est a U-M linebacker had ever heard his name called (Owens was drafted No. 9 overall by the Los Angeles Rams in 1981). "It's a simple like and love for us," Tomlin explained when asked what After being selected 10th overall by the Steelers, Devin Bush Jr. became one of only nine father-son combinations in NFL history to both be first-round picks. PHOTO BY KARL ROSER/COURTESY PITTSBURGH STEELERS Michigan In The 2019 NFL Draft Pos. Name Round Overall Pick Team LB Devin Bush 1 10 Pittsburgh Steelers DE Rashan Gary 1 12 Green Bay Packers DE Chase Winovich 3 77 New England Patriots CB David Long 3 79 Los Angeles Rams TE Zach Gentry 5 141 Pittsburgh Steelers Undrafted free agent signings: TE Ian Bunting (finished his career at California), Chicago Bears; OT Juwann Bushell-Beatty, Washington Redskins; RB Karan Hig- don, Houston Texans; S Tyree Kinnel, Cincinnati Bengals; DT Lawrence Marshall, Chicago Bears; DT Bryan Mone, Seattle Seahawks; QB Wilton Speight (finished his career at UCLA), San Francisco 49ers; and CB Brandon Watson, Jacksonville Jaguars