NASHVILLE, Tenn.— Devin Bush Jr. doesn't know why Rashan Gary's draft stock seems to be falling. But he does know this:

He'd select his former Michigan football teammate before himself in the 2019 NFL draft.

"I'd take him before me," Bush said Wednesday at a pre-draft event at Nissan Stadium. "Just his potential's crazy. I played with him, but I just know what he’s all about. Teams may be questioning that, but I know."

[ Michigan's Devin Bush on cusp of NFL with a style all his own ]

Gary and Bush played together for three seasons at U-M before entering the NFL draft after their junior years. Both are expected to be taken in the first round on Thursday.

But while Bush's stock seems to be climbing as the expected No. 2 linebacker taken in this year's class, Gary's could be slipping toward the middle-to-late first round after widely being considered a top-10 pick.

More:Might Lions draft Devin Bush? He's willing to play middle LB

"I had one GM say 10-28 for a range," ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper said Monday during a teleconference with reporters. "That's one heck of a range for a guy who is very polarizing."

Kiper said Monday the knock on Gary was tied to his limited sack production in college (just 9.5 in three seasons). He has all the measurable traits an NFL team would want otherwise, from his 6-foot-4, 277-pound frame to the freakish 4.58 40-yard dash time he ran at the NFL Combine in March.

More:Jim Harbaugh: Rashan Gary is a top-10 pick

Bush said reports of Gary falling because of the shoulder injury he suffered in college, one that might require surgery after the season, are the media "just trying to make the draft more interesting."

"I haven't seen Rashan's stock really fall from my perspective," Bush said. "But if it has, I don't know the reason for it. He could be very special, too. His size and his speed, his power combination, his quickness, it doesn't come around very often.

"You probably get those guys every 10 years, every 15 years. He's very special."

[ Here's where Michigan football players could go in 2019 NFL draft ]

Bush is expected to be taken in the middle of the first round, though some recent mock drafts have him creeping toward the top 10. It's possible he could interest the Detroit Lions, who have the No. 8 pick and are open to trading back on Thursday.

Bush was an All-American last season and the captain on one of the top defenses in college football. He made 172 tackles during his U-M career, including 18.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks.

“I think I can be a very unique linebacker," Bush said. "I think I can be a linebacker that comes around once every 100 years. I think I got an opportunity to be very special in the NFL.”

Free Press sports writer Dave Birkett contributed to this report.

Chris Thomas is the sports editor at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at cdthomas@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @bychristhomas.