NFL Draft Prospect of the Week: Da'Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson

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Da'Quan Bowers is one of, if not the top, defensive prospect for the NFL Draft this year. I currently have him rated #4 in my NFL Draft Rankings, but he is on the verge of jumping up in my next set of rankings. Bowers was the #1 rated prospect coming out of high school three years ago, already possessing the body of an NFL defensive end, but his play in his first two years did not reflect this. He recorded only four sacks in his first two seasons, and many people wondered if he would ever live up to his immense hype. However, this year Bowers has grown into the prospect he was born to be. He has recorded 58 tackles and 16 sacks to this point, outstanding production for any defensive end. He has been a man amongst boys utilizing his amazing strength and size to physically dominate his opponents. With a strong showing in the offseason circuit, Bowers is now in position to be taken in the top ten.

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The offseason circuit is something that Bowers is certain to excel in. He has excellent size at 6'4, 280, and he also possesses the speed and quickness of some linebackers. Comparisons to former prospects Julius Peppers and Mario Williams based purely on athletic ability and realistic. He possesses the same frame as well as strength and quickness as these former top five draft picks. Bowers also is rather raw when it comes  to pass rushing skills, a fault formerly carried by Peppers and Williams. Bowers does excel against the run. He uses his ridiculous strength to simply overpower his opponents and make his way to the ball carrier. His pass rush skills are less developed. You may say, "But he has 16 sacks!" Yes he does, but he gets these sacks simply by physically dominating his opponents. He uses his quick first step and strength to get around collegiate tackles, but this will not always work in the NFL against bigger, stronger tackles. He will need to develop some pass rush moves if he wants to stay effective at the next level.

Bowers is an outstanding prospect. He possesses elite size, athleticism, and quickness. He has all the physical tools to be a dominate defensive end at the next level. Bowers sets a hard edge against the run, and with a little work should become a dominant pass rusher. He is a future pro-bowl, three-down defensive end in the NFL. He should be a top 10 pick in this years draft.

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Defensive Prospect of the Week: Nick Fairley,DT, Auburn

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Cam Newton may be receiving most of the hype this year for the Auburn Tigers, but Nick Fairley is possibly their best player. He has been a terror for opposing offenses this year. A junior, Fairley stands an intimidating 6'5 and weights in at nearly 300 pounds. He possesses excellent size and speed for the defensive tackle position. He is very similar to my #1 ranked DT, Marcell Dareus, in that he is an ideal fit for the 3-4 defensive end position in the pros. This is due to his tall frame combined with size and strength that would allow him to demand double teams, yet still be able to set the edge against the run. However, with Fairley's quickness he could also play under-tackle in a 4-3 scheme.

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Fairley has been the most dominant defensive tackle in college football this year recording 18 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks so far. He has been shooting up draft boards because he combines exceptional physical ability with strong play. The reason I am cautious with him, ranking him as my #4 DT in my NFL Draft Rankings is due to his lack of consistency. This is his first year of doing anything in division one football. He attended a junior college and then proceeded to accomplish nothing last year at Auburn. This is his first good year of college football. If he continues to prove himself this year and works out well in the off-season he could be selected in the top-half of the first round. However, if he begins to fade their are plenty of other talented defensive tackles that could go ahead of him. There is no denying the physical ability of Fairley and it will be fun to watch him and Cam Newton attempt to lead Auburn to a National Championship.

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