The 2011 NFL Draft has been full of surprises, for sure. The unexpected run on quarterbacks in the first round, the blockbuster trade between the Falcons and the Cleveland Browns and the Falcons that sent Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones to Atlanta, Nebraska cornerback Prince Amukamara sliding to the New York Giants at No. 19 overall...
But perhaps the biggest shocker has been Clemson defensive end Da'Quan Bowers' continued slide down the draft board. If the draft had taken place the day after the Super Bowl, Bowers might have been the top overall pick, but after a number of medical concerns about his knee surfaced, NFL squads got gun-shy about selecting the talented prospect. The fact that he's slipped this far suggest that his health issues are perhaps more severe than many of us in the media world suspected.
We're approaching the halfway point in Round Two, and Bowers, a risk-reward player with tremendous upside, is still just sitting there. How much farther will he fall? And if the Clemson product is (somehow) still available at selection No. 63, when the Steelers are on the clock, should Pittsburgh take a chance on the kid and see if he can't sit a year, then play outside linebacker in their 3-4 scheme?
It's definitely an unlikely scenario, but with Bowers slipping the way he has, it's fun to think about. Stranger things have happened, and OLB could be an area of need in the future with LaMarr Woodley's uncertain contract situation (he was given the team's franchise tag in the offseason) and James Harrison getting older.