NFL Insider: A Closer Look at Da'Quan Bowers

It’s hard to find anyone who doesn’t say that Clemson’s Da’Quan Bowers isn’t the best defensive end coming into the 2011 NFL draft.  He’s been productive, he’s been relatively healthy and he’s one of the most athletic players to play the position in a long time.  Many experts feel that he will be the first defensive end selected in the draft and some feel that he could go as high as No. 2 or 3 in upcoming NFL draft.

So what makes Bowers so special?  What does he have that other players that play his position don’t have?  Why is he going to be one of the top players in this year’s draft?

Let’s find out in this in depth look at Bowers.

There are several people out there that feel that Bowers is the next great NFL pass rusher.  Some feel that he reminds them of Chicago Bear defensive end Julius Peppers in that he is a physically gifted, high impact player that can be a real game changer.

Looking at Bower’s upside, he is one of the best athletes at the defensive position in this draft.  He excels as a pass rusher and has the speed and tenacity to continue to put pressure on the quarterback and disrupt the pass play.  He can get up the field in a hurry to cause problems and can push the pocket causing problems for the opposing offense.

His size allows him to push through the offensive line well, and he is able to use his hands and leverage to get through blockers and get through the line and make a play.  He is quick off the ball and very strong when taking on blockers. 

His pass rushing moves are well developed and with some additional help from an NFL defensive line coach, he can continue to develop other moves while improving on what he already has and could be difficult to stop. 

Bowers plays the run well and can contain running backs coming to his side of the field on the edge.  He moves up and down the line of scrimmage well and had a very productive season in 2010.  Can he carry that over into the NFL?

Some of the biggest problems that Bowers has includes not being able to stay low enough at times to get underneath offensive tackles, getting past them to make a play on the quarterback.  He also had some problems with injuries but that occurred back in 2009 (knee, missing two games), and it's said that he has had surgery to repair a knee injury that he suffered at the end of the season and didn't participate in the combine or his recent pro day.  His agents are keeping a tight lid on the injury right now and how bad it's affecting him. 

There are times when Bowers will give up on a play before it’s done and needs to be more consistent.  Hopefully he can find that consistency in the NFL.

Bowers is almost the complete defensive end, already the most complete in this year’s draft and with some fine tuning he could become one of the best in the NFL over a period of time.  He appears to be the most capable defensive end in the draft, and the one that could make the most impact in the shortest amount of time.

So where will Bowers go in the 2011 NFL draft?  Right now, it appears as if he may be catching some interest from the Denver Broncos, the Buffalo Bills and the Cleveland Browns and you can bet that he’s not going to get out of the top 10.  Look for Bowers to go to either the Bills or the Browns in this year’s draft.