Waiting was the hardest part for new Buccaneers defensive end Da’Quan Bowers. Once seen as a potential No. 1 overall pick, he lasted until pick No. 51.
“The last 24 hours have been crazy-long,’' Bowers said Friday night via SI.com’s Don Banks. “It’s been grueling just waiting for that one phone call. I’m just glad for the opportunity that Tampa Bay gave me. I just want to show them that they made a great pick and it wasn’t a mistake.”
Bowers says his knee isn’t an issue, but clearly NFL teams felt differently. There was some worry Bowers would need microfracture surgery at some point during his rookie contract.
There is a point, however, that someone as talented as Bowers is worth taking a risk on. The Bucs badly needed pass rushing help, and they added Iowa’s Adrian Claybron and Bowers in the first two rounds.
They just added them in a different order than most people would have expected.