2011 NFL Draft: Da'Quan Bowers An Overlooked Option For Bills

by Brian Galliford on Feb 15, 2011 2:01 PM EST in 2011 NFL Draft

The reasons are never the same, but every year, as Buffalo Bills fans discuss their team's NFL Draft prospects, one highly-touted player seems to constantly elude the conversations. Last year, it was Oklahoma OT Trent Williams, who seemed like he'd be available when the Bills picked, but eventually went No. 4 overall to Washington.

An early contender for the most overlooked prospect by Bills fans is Clemson defensive end Da'Quan Bowers.

It's not hard to get why Bowers doesn't make the conversation very frequently. There's a great chance he won't be available to the Bills, despite the fact that they pick third. He's also a much better fit for the 4-3 defense as an end than he is as either a lineman or a rush linebacker in the 3-4. But as other positions (quarterback, defensive tackle) and players (Patrick Peterson, A.J. Green) enter the discussions, Bowers' name belongs right alongside them - and perhaps even ahead of them.

Insofar as pure pass rushers go, Bowers is arguably the most talented prospect available this year, despite there being a strong group of options. A top recruit out of high school, Bowers finally lived up to his immense potential as a junior in 2010, recording 15.5 sacks and 25 tackles for loss after having just four and 18, respectively, in his first two years combined.

Some scouts question whether Bowers is a bit of a one-year wonder - it's hard to argue otherwise statistically - but most are willing to overlook that question after the 6'4", 275-pound end ripped through the ACC. It's a concern, but for now, it's a small one.

Perhaps the most difficult aspect of discussing Bowers through the lens of the Bills is projecting him into Buffalo's defense. GM Buddy Nix said that the team is still scouting with the idea of eventually running a 3-4 full-time, and Bowers just doesn't fit that scheme. He's stout enough at the point of attack to play five technique, but that position would waste his pass-rushing talent. Bowers also lacks the explosive burst and athleticism to be anything more than a one-dimensional outside linebacker. At best, he could stand up on run downs and line up at end for pass downs, but that defense doesn't maximize his talents.

If Chan Gailey is to be believed, however, in that the team will continue to run a hybrid defense, then it's a bit easier to project Bowers. In 2010, the Bills used four down linemen on run downs, with Marcus Stroud (or Dwan Edwards) and Chris Kelsay at end; Bowers could simply replace Stroud, whose spot on the roster is tenuous at best. Or he could replace Kelsay, with 2010 third-round pick Alex Carrington replacing Stroud. The point is, Bowers would offer a pass rushing presence from that alignment that the team simply didn't have last season. In looks with three linemen, which the Bills frequently used on passing downs, Bowers could remain at end, and would complement the likes of Shawne Merriman and Arthur Moats, among others, quite nicely.

Bowers feels more like a short-term player than a long-term player for the Bills. Short term, the team would find ways to use him as they continue to find their schematic defensive identity. If the goal really is to run the 3-4, however, I have to believe that Bowers doesn't rate as highly on their board as he would for, say, Denver.

But that doesn't mean Bowers doesn't belong in the conversation.

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Comments

i think bowers is the best option for us

the trend in nfl changes constantly… so the best thing to do is to stay hybrid and bowers is the best prospect for that… infact, if you have pure pass rushers like bowers and williams, 4-3 is the best formation for pass defense….

i like the idea of being hybrid and playing bowers as left DE in 3-4 and right DE in 4-3…

in 3-4 we will have bowers, williams, merriman and moats rushing at any point of time… that would be awesome..

by statcruncher on Feb 15, 2011 2:14 PM EST reply actions

I like his skills but we have Moats, Merriman and Kelsay. Where does he fit?

by lynchburgbillsfan on Feb 15, 2011 2:17 PM EST reply actions

he replaces anyone of those guys, and the defense gets better

by billsin2012 on Feb 15, 2011 2:37 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

rec

by dwwhite190 on Feb 15, 2011 2:53 PM EST up reply actions

Hey, I agree.

by lynchburgbillsfan on Feb 15, 2011 3:06 PM EST up reply actions

kel who?

by wab2 on Feb 15, 2011 4:52 PM EST up reply actions

I prefer Robert Quinn

to Buffalo over Bowers. Hes a more natural fit for OLB, is arguably a better pass rusher and after watching lots of film on him this month I am dazzled by the level his technique is at for a guy who hasn’t been coached at the NFL level yet. His use of his hands is particularly outstanding.

I’d be very happy with Quinn at 3, definitely over Bowers, as hes a better fit

i’m sure i’m going to regret this conversation… but what the hell - J2

by poz on Feb 15, 2011 2:17 PM EST reply actions 2 recs

rec'd

Agree 100%. Can play in both defenses very easily…

by doctork44 on Feb 15, 2011 2:54 PM EST up reply actions

Rec'd

by hightower_mc on Feb 15, 2011 3:14 PM EST up reply actions

You’re not concerned over the year that Quinn was suspended? I think it’s possible he could fall out of the first round based on that.

Official ledge-talker-offer of the Buffalo Bills.

by WhyBillsWhy on Feb 15, 2011 3:48 PM EST up reply actions

Dez Byrant

missed a year and he looked fantastic as a rookie. If a guy can ball, he can ball.

i’m sure i’m going to regret this conversation… but what the hell - J2

by poz on Feb 15, 2011 5:04 PM EST up reply actions

It’s not his ability to play that I’d be concerned about.

Official ledge-talker-offer of the Buffalo Bills.

by WhyBillsWhy on Feb 16, 2011 11:26 AM EST up reply actions

If playing 3-4 defensive end ‘wastes’ ones pass rushing talent, how do you explain Bruce Smith (not saying anyone could replicate what he accomplished)? It seems a disservice to outside the box thinking that the Bills are limited one way or another, especially with a guy like Bowers who has enough size to at least function as a 3-4 end and athleticism to flex to linebacker….

I think we have a tendency to get tunnel vision with guys fitting this system or that system. The biggest problem with the Tampa 2 / 4-3 that we ran under Jauron was a lack of talent. The biggest misconception of loading a Tampa 2 is that you need SMALL, fast linebackers. What you need is FAST linebackers, and it seems there are plenty that are big and fast these days. Same with linemen.

Why can’t an end rush in a 3-4? Why can’t Kyle Williams and Bower rush out of the 3-4, and just get some bulkier run-stuffing linebackers..?

Some day the Bills won't suck anymore. Or they'll be in someone else's city.

by syrbillsfan on Feb 15, 2011 2:39 PM EST reply actions

just thinkn the same thing bruce smith was the same build

where oh where has aaron maybin gone oh where can he be
was picked so high and not one has seen oh where can maybin be
seriously where the hell is he ?

by Gpluehri on Feb 15, 2011 2:50 PM EST up reply actions

i think bruce was about 15 lbs light, just packed it on once he got here

by wab2 on Feb 15, 2011 4:53 PM EST up reply actions

Bruce Smith was one of the best two or three pass rushers in the history of the NFL. He did not play in a typical 3-4 defense; it was atypical not just because he played in it, but because Jeff Wright was at NT.

Five-technique players can rush the passer; I wasn’t insinuating otherwise. But Bowers is at his best defending the run when he’s shooting gaps, rather than setting the edge. He’s just not a fit at the position, and though I didn’t expect to have to do this, I guess I have to: I am not trying to besmirch the name of Bruce Smith.

Editor-in-Chief, BUFFALO RUMBLINGS®
@BrianGalliford

by Brian Galliford on Feb 15, 2011 2:54 PM EST up reply actions

how was Wright different from traditional NTs?

Being just a young’n in the Bills heyday, I didn’t analyze the game like I do now. I recognized good plays and bad but mainly just yelled a lot. Which NT in the current game most closely resembles Jeff Wright?

by Morningw00d on Feb 15, 2011 9:02 PM EST up reply actions

Jeff Wright weighed 275 pounds. That was just a different era for football. In Bruce’s first couple seasons, the Bills played a 3-4 DE opposite him who was the same size as Chris Kelsay. If you watch old Bills highlights, you’ll see Bruce lining up outside the OT and rushing the QB like a 4-3 DE would. Nobody plays the 3-4 in a way that’s remotely similar to how Buffalo used to play it.

"You mean @TWHITNER. It’s how he prefers to be referenced." - Jon Harrington

by kaisertown on Feb 15, 2011 10:48 PM EST up reply actions

I guess that’s why we were a bend but don’t break defense back then. If Bruce or Jeff were able to get pressure we limited the opposition to a short gain or a loss. If we didn’t get pressure we gave up a big gain.

by Morningw00d on Feb 16, 2011 12:21 AM EST up reply actions

Can everyone PLEASE stop using the terms “4-3” and “Tampa 2” interchangeably? (not necessarily you, syrbillsfan, but many around here) It is getting frustrating to me to see every type of 4-3 besmirched because of the particular defense that Jauron ran while he was here.

There are a dozen different types of 4-3 base defenses – the Tampa 2 itself is only one subset of one type of 4-3 base (Cover 2).

Just because a team plays a 4-3 at one time or another definitely does not mean they are playing a Tampa 2. These discussions would be much easier if everyone could learn this.

by HarryNeale'sGarden on Feb 15, 2011 3:22 PM EST up reply actions

Eh............

I dont really think he’s that good honestly.

I’ve seen him play a few times, nothing too impressive about him other than his measurables………..Seem to disappear for stretches, especially in that South Florida bowl game.

Let someone else have him.

The score dictated they pass

by norcaliangelsfan on Feb 15, 2011 2:46 PM EST reply actions

ummmm how bout him as a 3/4 end ?

he is built like one of the greatest 3/4 ends in nfl history

where oh where has aaron maybin gone oh where can he be
was picked so high and not one has seen oh where can maybin be
seriously where the hell is he ?

by Gpluehri on Feb 15, 2011 2:48 PM EST reply actions

OK… the Bruce Smith comparisons should probably stop. Da’Quan Bowers is not, and will never be, Bruce Smith.

Editor-in-Chief, BUFFALO RUMBLINGS®
@BrianGalliford

by Brian Galliford on Feb 15, 2011 2:54 PM EST up reply actions

never said he was there is no one who will ever be bruce smith or even come close

but bowers is the same build which was the only comparison to smith that i was referencing bowers is a great gap shooter i can see him and williams shooting the gaps and having kelsey set the edge

where oh where has aaron maybin gone oh where can he be
was picked so high and not one has seen oh where can maybin be
seriously where the hell is he ?

by Gpluehri on Feb 15, 2011 3:03 PM EST up reply actions

Agree 100 %

I believe he can be an excellent 3-4 end both vs the run and pass. He might need to go to 285 pounds to do it – he looks like he has the frame to pull that off though. Considering his speed at 275 – 280 pounds, he’ll still have plenty of it left at 285

2011 - Revenge of the Bills fan !

by Will G on Feb 15, 2011 3:56 PM EST up reply actions

Again – there is a massive difference between whether a player can do something, and whether he should be doing it.

Editor-in-Chief, BUFFALO RUMBLINGS®
@BrianGalliford

by Brian Galliford on Feb 15, 2011 4:00 PM EST up reply actions

my take on that brian is why not put a player in the best position to succeed

if the bills feel comfortable in bowers and ask him to do the things he knows how to do while teaching him things they want him to do why not? gailey seems like a flexible guy and can have edwards adjust his defense accordingly just like we do on offense now im not saying draft him just because we are flexible in our schemes im saying we shouldnt count any player out because we can adjust accordingly

where oh where has aaron maybin gone oh where can he be
was picked so high and not one has seen oh where can maybin be
seriously where the hell is he ?

by Gpluehri on Feb 15, 2011 4:19 PM EST up reply actions

If they want to put Bowers in the best position to succeed, then they’d move back to the 4-3 and let him play end.

Editor-in-Chief, BUFFALO RUMBLINGS®
@BrianGalliford

by Brian Galliford on Feb 15, 2011 4:20 PM EST up reply actions

didnt gailey just announce that????

by wab2 on Feb 15, 2011 4:55 PM EST up reply actions

Maybin was described as a "one year wonder" as well

what makes Bowers worthy of a top five pick when Maybin wasn’t? Is it his weight or strength? I’m wondering because I haven’t seen him in action. How do they compare as prospects?

by telka on Feb 15, 2011 2:53 PM EST reply actions

They’re really nothing alike. Bowers can play the game with power. Maybin cannot.

Editor-in-Chief, BUFFALO RUMBLINGS®
@BrianGalliford

by Brian Galliford on Feb 15, 2011 2:55 PM EST up reply actions

And the whole ‘one year wonder’ thing…. Maybin barely was on the field except the season after he was drafted, no? Bowers didn’t rack up huge sack numbers prior to 2010, but he played, and many felt he played well in spite of the lack of sacks.

by Pistol on Feb 15, 2011 3:05 PM EST up reply actions

He is a 1 year wonder regarding stats but he played in 35 collegiate games starting 29 of them. His production increased each and every year.
Scouts should try to see if that increase on production was a matter of effort or better use of technique.

by Fixxxer on Feb 15, 2011 4:48 PM EST up reply actions

275 versus 235

just the lbs and speed at that weight, maybin lost speed at 250

by wab2 on Feb 15, 2011 4:56 PM EST up reply actions

I think the reason Bowers isn’t given much consideration was spelled out nicely in the article. There’s too many work arounds to get him to play. If you’re not going to get a player to fully play to his strengths, particularly at #3, I think it’s reasonable to pass on him unless he’s overwhelmingly the best option (which by most (all?) accounts he isn’t).

It’s easy enough to see Paterson, Green and to a lesser degree Fairley (although I think he’s close to the dominant player you shouldn’t pass) and just be able to throw them out there without forcing the peg to fit the team.

by Pistol on Feb 15, 2011 3:14 PM EST reply actions

Hopefully, Brian...

Buffalo’s scouts and coaches will see Bowers for exactly what he is… a one-year wonder. After studying him there was absolutely nothing in his skill set that indicated he could duplicate his production. He gathered quite a few garbage and coverage sacks this past season (or the occasional scramble right into his arms) and I, for one, want absolutely nothing to do with him in the 1st round. I don’t seriously consider him as an option for the Bills not for any of the reasons you mentioned above, but based solely on the fact he’s not as good of a player as advertised. He’s being held up by a bunch of hot air from scouts that bequeath the hype from one level to the next. Highly touted out of middle school to high school to college, and now to the NFL. The smartest thing Bowers could have done in his life was take those 15.5 garbage sacks all the way to the bank, just like Aaron Maybin did.

"I don't agree with a damn thing you say, but I would die for your right to say it."

"If I had to do it all over again, I'd do it all over again."

by ForeignArrow on Feb 15, 2011 4:18 PM EST reply actions

I don't see OLB as the biggest need when we have Moats and Marriman

Moats deserves a year with playing time. Unless one of these guys is a “cant pass on” type of guy.

I want Petterson or Newton.

"The Buffalo Bills have just exploded all over the Cincinnati Bangles"
-Steve Tasker-

by billsoferie on Feb 15, 2011 4:41 PM EST reply actions

Like Bowers a Lot

He always seems to find his way to where the QB is going to be, not where he is at the momment. Great pass rush instincts from a down lineman can’t be overlooked.

Ryan FitZpatrick - The Inconvenient Truth.

by kgun201 on Feb 15, 2011 5:04 PM EST reply actions

think your last two statements are contradictory...

If the goal really is to run the 3-4, however, I have to believe that Bowers doesn’t rate as highly on their board as he would for, say, Denver.

But that doesn’t mean Bowers doesn’t belong in the conversation.

IMO, the fact that he is not a good fit for our defensive system, and since we are picking at 3, there only needs to be two players who are better than he is and that fit our system to warrant not talking about Bowers. Miller, Dareus, Fairely, and Peterson all qualify as either just as (or even more) talented as Bowers and better fits for our system, therefor knocking Bowers from the conversation.

Act like a sober human being, not a drunk Internet username. -- Brian Galliford

by NorCal BillsFan on Feb 15, 2011 7:59 PM EST reply actions

I think we may be getting too caught up with scheme

Many of our defensive formations are going to feature four d-linemen due to the increasing use of nickel packages as well as other variations of the multiple D we’re running. Remember how much we used the “heavy” front this past year? Plus, if I remember DJ’s article correctly, Edwards could even put Bowers in a single gap responsibility in the 3-4 “over” defense. Bowers has the power and instincts to make a big difference.

I’m not sold on him being the best fit for our team (Dareus is a beast), but I’m not sure I’d call him a terrible fit either.

by gotta billieve on Feb 15, 2011 8:22 PM EST reply actions

It seems like you are more worried about Bowers stats than this impact on our defense

He’s also a much better fit for the 4-3 defense as an end than he is as either a lineman or a rush linebacker in the 3-4.

I am not interested if the 3-4 is the best system for Bowers because we will be scheme diverse. He can play 4-3 DE or 3-4 rush OLB. That will put him on the field with plenty of opportunities to make an impact.

He’s stout enough at the point of attack to play five technique, but that position would waste his pass-rushing talent.

He is the best pass rusher in this draft. And I don’t care if the 3-4 is the best use of his talent as long as he is the most talented player available. Why should we care if he can make a bigger impact with a different team. Screw the rest of the other teams. Is he the player that will make the biggest impact on the Bills defense?…..that is all I want to know.

For my own personal sanity, I am officially banning myself from reading/saying anything about Cam Newton.... starting the day after the Bowl game until the start of the combine.

The important thing is not to stop questioning. - Albert Einstein

by Joe P. on Feb 15, 2011 10:07 PM EST reply actions