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2019 NFL Mock Draft: How high will Kyler Murray go in projected first round?

By John Mitchell

NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 22: Quarterback Kyler Murray #1 of the Oklahoma Sooners walks off the field after the game against the Army Black Knights at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners defeated the Black Knights 28-21 in overtime. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 22: Quarterback Kyler Murray #1 of the Oklahoma Sooners walks off the field after the game against the Army Black Knights at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners defeated the Black Knights 28-21 in overtime. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

11. player. 56. . ILB. LSU. Devin White

Devin White could easily go in the Top 5 or 10, so the Bengals would be thrilled to see him still on the board with the 11th pick. They’d probably rush this pick in as soon as they realized they could grab such a special talent.

White was the best player on a great LSU defense in 2018, helping the Tigers produce a breakthrough 10-win season in Ed Orgeron’s second full season as the team’s head coach. White won the Butkus Award for his efforts, and is without a doubt the draft’s best middle linebacker.

White is the evolutionary linebacker who is a perfect fit in today’s NFL. Every offense is going more and more to spread, up-tempo principles that requires defenses to have a versatile athletic guy in the middle like White who can run sideline-to-sideline to defend the run as well as holding up in pass coverage against backs, tight ends, and the occasional receiver.

White is that guy, boasting the instinctive run-stuffing tendencies you want from a guy in the middle of your defense, while also being freaky athletic. Look for him to turn the Combine upside down with some eye-popping numbers that might seal his fate as a Top 10 pick.

The Bengals would be thrilled to see him at No. 11 as he would help fill one of their biggest needs. Vontaze Burfict’s latest concussion puts his NFL future in doubt – adding an athletic rangy defender like White is imperative for Cincinnati to improve one of the league’s worst run defenses regardless of Burfict’s future.

If White is off the board with this selection, Michigan linebacker Devin Bush, a similar player in his own right, could be in play. They might also consider one of the top offensive linemen on the board in Oklahoma’s Cody Ford and Ole Miss’ Greg Little.

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