Clemson defensive end Da'Quan Bowers held his personal pro day today after recovering from right knee surgery.
What to take from the Da’Quan Bowers pro day
The opinions have been mixed from those in attendance, but a quote from Dolphins pass rush coach Bryan Cox is getting the most attention.
According to Will Spencer of DraftBreakdown.com, Cox was running Bowers through linebacker drills and was a jokingly harsh critic.
“I’m stiff and I can do it,” Cox said. “If you can’t then you must be real stiff.”
The trouble with that is Bowers should never be considered a linebacker prospect. Even though he measured in at 276 pounds today, Bowers is a power defensive end.
One player he should justifiably be compared to is Houston Texans defensive end Mario Williams. Both are power ends, though Williams is bigger. At the 2007 NFL Scouting Combine, Williams ran a better 40 at 4.70 seconds compared to Bowers’ times in the 4.9 area.
But compare their three-cone drills. That is a much better indicator of a defensive end's explosion. In 2007, Williams had a time of 7.21 seconds. Bowers had times of 6.96 and 7.02 seconds. The 6.96 would have been the fourth fastest time at the Combine this year after Sam Acho, Chris Carter and JJ Watt.
So instead of dwelling on Bowers’ 40 time, which is sort of inconsequential, look at his three-cone times.
See More:
