NFL Draft 2011: Da'Quan Bowers Perfect for Minnesota Vikings in First Round

Da’Quan Bowers is the best defensive end in the draft. He has been heavily compared to Michale Strahan and Reggie White and plays the same side as they did over their careers.

His 15.5 sacks last season were the best in the nation and the 26 tackles behind the line of scrimmage are a testament to his run-stopping skills. Particularly efficient when you consider he only played in 13 games.

The Vikings are desperate for a quarterback and the offensive line has become an area of weakness. Many Vikings fans don’t believe that defensive end is a position of need.

That is true, it’s not a need, but no fan across the NFL can dispute the dominance of the Vikings' rush defense during the mid-2000s. In 2009, the team had the same defensive backs as 2010, but were able to cover up the flaws thanks to an outstanding pass rush from the front four. In 2010, the front four fell off the radar and the secondary paid a price long overdue.

As much as it may pain us to admit, Kevin Williams is getting older and is not a pass rush threat. Jared Allen is heading towards the other side of his prime. If defensive line isn’t a need this year, it will be very soon.

So why not take the best prospect at strong side since DeMarcus Ware?

The team wants to draft according to the best player available rule, and if Bowers slides down the list and is available, which is looking more and more likely, the Vikings will receive an early Christmas present.

Why would a player like this be available so late? Injuries stymied his development during his early years at Clemson and a knee problem kept him from competing at the combine. A lackluster pro day also contributed to his decent on many big boards.

This would not be the first time Minnesota took a gamble on a recently injured player. The Vikings took a chance on Adrian Peterson in 2007 when Peterson was coming off an injury and slid out of the top five to No. 8. Minnesota took the best player available and it has paid off immensely.

It’s not that Chester Taylor couldn’t be effective, it was that Peterson could be amazing. The same holds true this year in the case of Bowers.

Bowers offers the Vikings a chance to pair up three disruptive players on the defensive line in a scheme that relies heavily on stopping the run with the front seven and getting a pass rush with the front four. The entire success of the Tampa-2 defense relies on this.

Just about any defensive back can play well behind a line that achieves this goal. And any DB can also be torched when pass rush fails a team (Darrell Revis against Randy Moss and the Patriots).

So for the fans who want a top flight defensive back like Prince Amukamara, know this, the Vikings don’t run a shutdown corner scheme, they run a defense that is only successful when the front line is successful.

Allen is still going to produce and require double teams for a few years. So Bowers wouldn’t be be matched-up one-on-one early in his career. With Williams disrupting the middle and the two ends on the outside, the Vikings defense can return to their 2009 form.

So, while the team needs help at other positions, let’s not forget that the Packers and Steelers have more than one thing in common. Besides franchise quarterbacks, they both have shutdown defenses.

The Vikings should be crossing their fingers and hoping that Bowers’ miserable college postseason can help land them the next great sack master.