Bucs Thieve Da’Quan Bowers In Second Round
April 29th, 2011
In a roll of the dice, Mark Dominik may have gotten one of the best defensive ends in the draft. Da’Quan Bowers of Clemson, who apparently has a severe knee issue reported to be bone-on-bone, had a freefall all the way to the Bucs at the 19th slot of the second round.
Just this morning, Peter King suggested that Bowers was still on Dominik’s radar as Dominik lusted over Bowers at the combine but was sullen in the realization that Bowers would never fall to the Bucs.
Then came the news of his knee ailment.
This is a great gamble by the Bucs and reminds Joe exactly of what happened last year. The Bucs, woeful on the defensive front, loaded up on tackles in the first two rounds with Gerald McCoy and Brian Price.
Now, after drafting Adrian Clayborn yesterday, Dominik goes out and gets perhaps when healthy, the best defensive end in the draft, Bowers.
If both Clayborn and Bowers can play average football, the Bucs will have a monster defensive front not seen since, well, Warren Sapp and Simeon Rice prowled the turf of The CITS if not the old Steel Curtain of the Steelers.
April 29th, 2011 at 7:50 pm
i like this pick alot now with our next pick we should go linebacker or running back
April 29th, 2011 at 7:51 pm
Lets just hope that knee holds up. It will be awesome to see these 4 guys grow together.
April 29th, 2011 at 7:52 pm
Worth the risk in the second round.
April 29th, 2011 at 7:52 pm
Maybe the Bucs will get a Glucosamine sponsor!! Super stoked if he stays healthy!
April 29th, 2011 at 7:52 pm
I love the value. once again even if this doesn’t pan out. GREAT PICK. smart pick. soo much value here. and he has a chip on his shoulder
April 29th, 2011 at 7:53 pm
so happy
April 29th, 2011 at 7:53 pm
Carter, McFarland, Sapp, Rice = Clayborn, McCoy, Price, Bowers!!!!!!!
April 29th, 2011 at 7:53 pm
Wow….I can’t believe he slid that far…what an excellent gamble…if he can be heathly…just plain wow…
April 29th, 2011 at 7:53 pm
I’ve been watching the draft and praying that he would fall to us… Great value pick here. I just hope that Dominik had the BEST doctors examine his knee.
GO BUCS!!!!
April 29th, 2011 at 7:54 pm
Chatting on another website with some friends, they keep suggesting that (insert name here)/Suh/Fairley/Vandenbosh will be the best DLine of the next ten years; this gave me enough ammunition that I may be able to convince everyone to finally come to my side 😛
April 29th, 2011 at 7:54 pm
@ Gavster
Good point… that chip on his shoulder could be monster motivation!
April 29th, 2011 at 7:55 pm
A report this morning that his knee needs even more surgery.
There is a reason this guy slid.
April 29th, 2011 at 7:56 pm
Wow !!!
TE with our next pick.
This is the line we needed to put pressure on Matt Ryan, Drew Brees, and take his head off Cam “Draft Bust” Newton.
April 29th, 2011 at 7:56 pm
Detroit and Tampa are both going to have monster D-Lines. I was hoping we would take a flier on Da`Quan in the 1st. Never thought he would get to 51. I’m pumped. Now we just need a OLB, CB, and RB.
April 29th, 2011 at 7:57 pm
Like I said over at the bulletin board, he’s the definition of a medical boom or bust. Talk about a roll of the dice! The Buccaneers double down once again!!
April 29th, 2011 at 7:58 pm
Bone on bone already? We could have had Martez Wilson or Donte Moch.
April 29th, 2011 at 7:59 pm
Okay…my tightend was taken 5 picks before we had our shot, but I have to say this pick didn’t take long to grow on me.
After doing some research, I even found MockingTheDraft.Com comparing him to Strahan as far as play style.
On his knee, it will mean 8 months recovery, so if he can make it through this season, he can get the surgery immediately after and be back in time for the new season. And the problem would be fixed.
April 29th, 2011 at 8:00 pm
“When healthy” Bowers doesn’t just look like the best defensive end in this draft. He looks like the best defensive end to come out since Julius Peppers. If the Bucs can get even one contract worth of elite level play from Bowers then this pick will have been a huge steal. If he somehow never plays a down in the NFL? Well then they got their guy in the first round too with Adrian Clayborn and so they are in no way screwed. This is a gamble but a smart gamble. Not like trading their first born children for a WR like the dumbass Atlanta Pigeons did.
April 29th, 2011 at 8:01 pm
Can the Bucs afford to be making these kind of risks when they refuse to look at free agency? I dont think so.
Another bad pick. Bowers will be on IR before week 1. Bet on it.
April 29th, 2011 at 8:01 pm
Number One..Du’Quan? Is that some kind of inside joke. His name is Da’Quan. Number two…We know it is a knee injury but I have heard no one…and I mean no one say it’s bone on bone. I’ve heard he may have microfracture surgery in the future but nothing of bone on bone. If you have a source, directly or via other media outlets that says it’s bone on bone, please post it. I’m not challenging the veracity of that claim just interested where it was made.
As for the pick, I think the Bucs could be hitting gold on this selection. I think Da’Quan is going to fight for a starting role and be a pleasant surprise at how he stays healthy and more importantly, produce consistent pressure on the Quarterback.
In conclusion, I must admit that I love you site and appreciate all the work you all do on this site.
April 29th, 2011 at 8:01 pm
If he needed Microfracture surgery that would have been easily spotted by the bucs medical staff, most passed because of long term questions, even if he is a situational pass rusher this was worth a risk…Jerry U suck.
April 29th, 2011 at 8:01 pm
Even if he doesn’t pan out…we still have our DE. If he does…we have the next Mike Williams.
Boy is Dominik brilliant…I’m not doubtin’ anymore…even if he goes with Schuylar Oordt:)
GO BUCS!
April 29th, 2011 at 8:03 pm
We now have 4 first round caliber d-lineman.
Go Bucs!!!
April 29th, 2011 at 8:03 pm
He will need to play with some pain but what a promising D-line. Finally, management realizes the best pass coverage is the one with the QB on his arse! CANT WAIT!
April 29th, 2011 at 8:07 pm
This is Sick! I’m stoked! Buc-n-A! I wanted Bowers all along. I think he has a major Chip on his shoulder and will prove 31 teams wrong. Dom, does it again. Big risk, big reward. Oh man the Saints, Panthers and Falcons better look out now. Cam Newton should be spending a lot of time on his back, along with Brees, and Matty Lice!!! Haha, Go Bucs!
April 29th, 2011 at 8:08 pm
@BucMan1978
The bone on bone comment was made on ESPN several times, and PFT also had some articles on it.
Jerry you are completely ignorant, lol. So far, Dominick MAY have hit two-for-two. I like Clayborn a LOT. Bowers wasn’t my first choice, but I don’t have an issue with it.
This is the guy that could have been the first overall pick if he’d been clearly healthy and if the Panthers did not need a QB.
I wonder…
…I wonder if Dominick helped circulate the injury issue in an effort to get Bowers to drop?
April 29th, 2011 at 8:12 pm
Man, these ends will help the interior lineman. I mean, whom are you going to double team? Dont forget we also have Miller on that line.
April 29th, 2011 at 8:13 pm
Hopefully the Bucs medical staff knows something that everyone else doesn’t. Very risky, but could be the steal of the draft if his knee’s condition has been overblown.
April 29th, 2011 at 8:18 pm
Bucbeliever- If he pans out he is a bigger steal than Mike Williams. We are talking about a guy who was looked at as potentially the next truly great NFL defensive end. We are talking perennial all-pro, ALL-PRO not pro bowl, type expectations.
BucMan1978- Yeah im with you on the “bone on bone” thing. That is just a ridiculous exaggeration. What? He has no cartilage at all in his knee???? Thats not the case and if it were he would have trouble walking let alone playing football. The fact is this guys knee is healthy enough right now that he was able to participate in his pro day. They said he had a subpar pro day but guess what?? He was probably out of shape from sitting around while he recovered from surgery. The question really isnt whether the guy will be able to play its more like how long? But like I said before even if the guy only plays 3 three years or something before his knee degrades to where it seriously impacts his play or even ends his career altogether, it will be worth it if he plays those few years at a pro bowl level.
April 29th, 2011 at 8:19 pm
Thanks Pete Dutcher did a google search and found the article. He had surgery on his meniscus in January and got flagged at the combine. I was reading on severe tears and that surgery usually helps younger people quite a bit, but most people don’t play football. We will see. I would rather the Bucs take a chance on this guy in the second round then drafting a Aqib Talib type player again. That reminds me, now that Atlanta has Julio Jones and Roddy White who wants to bet the Bucs change there mind and not cut Talib?
April 29th, 2011 at 8:22 pm
I know this older guy who got a partial knee replacement, just replacing the cartilage… he was up walking in a few days and in a few months was playing golf. So i wonder why he cant get that instead?
April 29th, 2011 at 8:26 pm
heh…I would laugh my arse off if he showed up for his press conference on crutches and with his knee wrapped…just to mess with people…and then toss it all aside and say, “To you 31 other teams…I’ll make sure you regret this.”
My only main complaint is that he grew up a Panthers fan.
April 29th, 2011 at 8:27 pm
fans were pissed we went 2 DT’s and didnt reach for a DE last year. Dom told us this was the DE draft right after last year. And next year is the LB year. Not reaching with Dom!!!
April 29th, 2011 at 8:35 pm
The Linebackers in all of the Mocks are not being picked up, YET.
Let see is we get one of them in the third.
Since Rah loves Ruud (meh!)
we’ll have to settle for OLB
And then it’s Time for some Free Agency help.
Nnamdi Asomugha!!!!
April 29th, 2011 at 8:41 pm
Ash, if Dom really said that, and he is methodical enough to plan the drafts out like that, then the motherf#*&^ isnt a rockstar, he is a got damn genuis savant draft extrodinaire.
I am liking Mark more and more. And I dont evn like people!
🙂
April 29th, 2011 at 8:41 pm
Assuming the knee is fixable, worst case we redshirt him this year for surgery and have him back next year and for years to come. Then it’s like we traded a high second round pick this year for a top five first round pick next year. I’d do that anyday. Great great pick.
April 29th, 2011 at 8:43 pm
An excellent value pick. A little risk involved, but far outweighted by the possibility of getting the best defensive player in the draft with the 51st pick. I love the potential of our D-line. I also believe Mallard/Stretz will get the best outta these guys. Many consider Mallard the best D-line coach in the NFL, and Dom has given him a ton of talent to work with. Now is everybody getting excited about our DEFENSE? A couple of OLBs and a TE should be happening soon. Gotta gets a toy or two for Freeman!
And no, Atlanta drafting Jones futher convinced the Bucs to dump Talib! Can’t have a CB you can’t count on in this division! Gotta have CBs you can depend on. Just made the Nnamdi decision even easier.
You can trust the Capt. On this one.
April 29th, 2011 at 8:44 pm
all of the experts were saying Bowers would fall, but at some point for some team the risk would match with the value of the pick. my friends, even if he is half the player everyone anticipated, i still think we are getting a hell of a player. i still think that Michael Bennett and Tim Crowder can develop into productive players. throw in Miller and Okam in the middle with McCoy and Price, and this is a pretty serious D-line rotation.
April 29th, 2011 at 8:45 pm
Oh, and to everyone who doubted me when I kept predicting Clayborn- Nahnahnahnah!
April 29th, 2011 at 9:12 pm
Bowers seriously can be situational… so its a good pick.
Martez Wilson just got picked by the aints…. damnit!
April 29th, 2011 at 9:19 pm
MVPFreeman Says:
April 29th, 2011 at 7:53 pm
Carter, McFarland, Sapp, Rice = Clayborn, McCoy, Price, Bowers!!!!!!!
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You do know who Greg Spires is right? Or even Chuck Darby? I hope u don’t really think that Kevin Carter won a super bowl with the Bucs.
April 29th, 2011 at 11:19 pm
Every one please read this about Da’Quan bowers Knee
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2011/04/agent_for_daquan_bowers_issues.html