I think this is a classic case of the media overblowing a players workout. He is dropping down draft boards because of a poor 40 time, average broad jump and because he got fatigued completing the drills, I think thats ridiculous. He's coming of a knee injury and clearly isn't in great shape, so all of these will improve given time. I think he is much more likely to run high 4.6's or low 4.7s when he is healthy, and a broad jump of well over 10 feet. And with this injury he still managed to put up a better 3 cone, short shuttle and vertical jump than Robert Quinn. These numbers don't concern me at all because they are not a true reflection of this kid as a football player.
The injury question is a legitimate concern though. If its something that will take a few more months to heal, I'm fine with that because without OTA's and mini camps he will have time. If it is something more serious and longterm then it becomes a major concern. But the combine medical retest is only a week away so to speculate now and drop him down draft boards is silly. Just be patient and we will find out the extent of the injury soon.
I always say the tape is the most important piece of the scouting puzzle, but when you have limited tape, you need to do a deep dive on the measurables. And in Bowers case the tape is limited and the measurables weak. All together that equals free fall.
While we may only have 1 year of tape of him as an elite pass rusher, we have 3 years of tape of him doing the stuff I love him for. I love him because he can not only rush the passer, but he is an elite run defender and he allows those around him to make plays. I don't see him as a 12-14 sack, elite pass rusher in the NFL, I see him as more of a 6-8 sack guy. But unlike someone like Robert Quinn who is an individual playmaker, I think Bowers makes those around him better and allows them to make plays.
I think the 3 players that would benefit the most from having Bowers on the team would be Ty Warren, Jermaine Cuningham and Brandon Spikes. I think he can be an elite edge setter as a Sam Linebacker, which is something we have struggled with the past few years. Just look at the first Jets game when Ninko whiffed on LT on a key run to the outside. With Bowers there setting the edge you can almost eliminate the run to the outside. This ability to set a hard edge reduces the amount of space that the LE needs to play in, increasing the effectiveness of guys like Ty Warren and Ron Brace. With someone like Ninko getting washed out in run plays trying to set the edge, the LE has a lot more space to work in, making their job much more difficult, especially the bigger, less athletic guys like Brace. If you can confine that space he could become a monster at LE.
We all know that Jermaine Cunningham lead the league in almost sacks last year, but we never had a consistent threat on the otherside to flush the QB out of the pocket. With an explosive, physical rusher like Bowers, who can create pressure and flush the QB out of the pocket on the other side, it takes the pressure off Cunningham and allows him to make more plays. Bowers presence on the other side could demand the oposition use extra help of that side, freeing up Cunningham, which could be the difference between him creating pressure and making plays. Bowers could be the difference between Cunningham having 2-4 sacks a year, or 8-10 sacks.
Finally, I think Bowers ability to set the edge really helps Brandon Spikes. Spikes athletic ability is limited, so playing in space is an issue. With Bowers virtually eliminating the run to the outside, it really cuts down the space Spikes needs to cover against the run. With the confidence that they won't be able to run to the outside, Spikes can cheat on the A and B gaps, and become much more effective, and more of a playmaker. If we can find another legitimate NT, packages with Wilfork at RE could become much more effective. We know if Wilfork is at DE, the oposition won't ran that direction, so we are virtually cutting down half of the field. With Bowers setting the edge at LOLB, eliminating the run on the outside, we can almost funnel the run game to the left A and B gaps, straight into Brandon Spikes, who could create carnage.
Obviously these are over simplifications of both the offensive and defensive schemes, but I think that the basic idea is there. Bowers is less of an individual playmaker, and more a a facilitator for his teammates. He might not be the flashy pass rusher that most people want, but I think he makes everyone else around him better. He might be limited in coverage, but I think BB can easily scheme against that. What he can do is set the edge, rush the passer and offer versatility as a DL in sub packages. Even if he runs a crappy 40 time I'll take that out of a 1st round pick.
