Bunting says Broncos leaning towards Bowers

Douglas Lee Feb 19, 2011 12:06 PM

NFP's Wes Bunting tweeted the following this morning:

Hearing the Broncos are starting to lean more toward DE Da'Quan Bowers with that number 2 pick, move to 43, he makes perfect sense

In a followup tweet, Bunting wrote,

Got to think the Broncos would look Fairley at 2, if Bowers is gone, got to put together their 4-3 front

Doug is IAOFM’s resident newsman and spelling czar. Follow him on Twitter @IAOFM

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I have two concerns with what I&#8217ve read on Bowers (I only saw one game of film, and it was impressive): His short time in college, with only one year of top production, and the fact that I&#8217m reading several comments regarding &#8216character&#8217. I&#8217m not as familiar with him as I&#8217d like to be, and this may just be media spin, but they are still considerations. No player will be without any - some sites knock Von Miller for his &#8216lack of size&#8217, although it&#8217s uncertain that this is much of a concern - but I&#8217s like to learn more about where the issues are coming from.

By the way, I&#8217m impressed by Cameron Jordan too. It&#8217s an unusually good year for the DL - I hope that Denver chooses well.

Posted by Doc Bear on 2011-02-21 01:28:46

Rig,

I&#8217ve read comparisons between Bowers and Trevor Pryce in more than one place, which is to say that he has the skill set and tools to be effective inside and out. Most likely, he&#8217d be strong side DE in base packages and then kick inside on passing downs. However, most of my research on him concludes that he could play full time at DE or DT and not only be successful but also become an impact player at either position.

That said, I&#8217m not sure he won&#8217t be a slider on draft day. While he had impressive sack numbers in 2010, an almost universal ding on him is the lack of the explosive first step as a pass rusher, which would theoretically make it far more difficult for him to beat NFL tackles the way he did D1 tackles. There isn&#8217t much question about his ability to dominate against the run at the next level, but history has shown that dominant run defenders aren&#8217t as loved on draft day.

I still think Cameron Jordan will be in the mix for the Broncos by draft day, and that opinion was bolstered by an interview I heard with Jordan yesterday. He not only seems to have blossomed as a football player, but he is also extremely well spoken, likable, humble, and extremely intelligent He was a better player side by side with Tyson Aluala at Cal, who had a very nice rookie year, and he also has the pure athleticism and triangle numbers to drop jaws at the combine. I suspect he is a much hotter prospect with actual pro scouts than he is with draftniks. I&#8217ll be stunned if he doesn&#8217t build on the momentum he gained at the Senior Bowl and enter Top Five discussions.

Posted by Drewthorn on 2011-02-21 00:43:56

What position would bowers play?

Posted by Rig on 2011-02-20 22:51:57

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Bunting says Broncos leaning towards Bowers

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