Eagles NFL draft options at No. 25: Devin Bush

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If there was any question whether Devin Bush was an elite inside linebacker prospect before the combine, he answered it with a 4.43 in Indianapolis. That was faster than all but one running back.

Bush, a Michigan junior, was a two-year starter for Jim Harbaugh, recording 19 tackles for loss and 10 sacks the last two years. He’s a little small at 5-11, 234, but in the current NFL, his skill as a pass defender should make him an immediate starter.

Bush is a sideline-to-sideline type of player who doesn’t take snaps off and can play on all three downs. The NFL is certainly in Bush’s genes. His dad, also Devin Bush, was a Falcons first-round pick and spent 1995 through 2002 with the Falcons, Rams and Browns.

Current roster at ILB: With Jordan Hicks gone, the Eagles are thin overall at linebacker and in particular on the inside, and although Nigel Bradham can play there, the Eagles may prefer to keep him outside, especially if they land an inside backer in the draft. Paul Worrilow has started 52 games on the inside but is coming off a serious injury and hasn’t been a full-time starter since 2015.

How he would fit: Bush would instantly become the Eagles’ starting middle linebacker, with Bradham outside and Kamu Gruger-Hill presumably back to his role as the third 'backer and special teamer.

Eagles history at LB in draft: There really isn’t much Eagles history at LB in the draft. It’s been 40 years since the Eagles took a linebacker in the first round — Jerry Robinson at No. 21 in 1979 — and it’s been nearly half a century since they took one in the first 20 picks — that was Steve Zabel at No. 6 in 1970. They are the only NFL team that hasn’t taken a linebacker in the first round since 1980. The Eagles have actually taken only one LB in the first two rounds the last decade — Mychal Kendricks in 2012.

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Other options at 25 

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