LB Navorro Bowman has visit setup with Cowboys

[WoodysGirl]

<snip>

Navorro Bowman, Sean Lee, Andrew Quarless and Jared Odrick -- the player most often projected to be a first-round pick -- also worked out Wednesday.

Bowman, who has Drew Rosenhaus as his agent, said he brought his 40-yard dash time down to 4.61 and has set up visits with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys. It seems the main questions scouts have with him have been regarding his past off-field issues.

"We all as men have to mature and learn from the mistakes you make," Bowman said. "I work a lot harder and focus a lot more."

http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2010/03/18/football_players_work_out_for.aspx

 

[Bob Sacamano]

So what we can gather, WR, ILB and Oline seem to be up there on our lists.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

I sure hope these bad character guys are a smokescreen.

 

[Chief]

I sure hope these bad character guys are a smokescreen.

Me too.

But Jerry goes through cycles. It's been a couple of years since he binged on bad boys.

 

[goliadmike]

Me too.

But Jerry goes through cycles. It's been a couple of years since he binged on bad boys.

I hope Tank and Pacman are still fresh on his mind...it has only been a full season.

 

[masomenos]

Character is a difficult thing to judge.

Do you completely write a guy off because of past actions when he was less than 20 years old? Do you even write a guy off because of a slip of character as an adult? I know that there are events in my past that I'm not proud of, which don't define who I am today. I imagine that the same is true for most people on this board.

First, look at Bowman purely as a football player...

Read & React: Smart, with a great nose for the ball. Reacts quickly to inside or stretch runs, recognizes misdirection plays and screens, and collapses on receivers in a hurry when dropped into coverage. Will bite on play-action at times because of his aggressive nature and quickness.

Run defense: Excellent chase and hustle against the run, closes on the ball quickly from sideline-to-sideline. Changes direction well, breaks down in space and attacks the ball. Attacks run plays so fast it looks as though he's on a run blitz even when that's not the case. Knifes through traffic and sidesteps fullback blocks inside as well as any linebacker in the draft. Flows through trash and finds the ball when lined up between the tackles. Has the upper-body strength to punch and prevent a lineman latching onto him in space, but must become more consistent getting off tight end blocks on the line and at the second level. Gets engulfed by better tackles at the point of attack.

Pass defense: Cognizant defender in zone coverage. Quick and fluid in his drop -- gets deep enough to prevent first downs. Gives up no extra yardage when receivers catch a ball in his area or when he sniffs out a screen. Good hands for the interception and can make a play after the catch with fine speed, vision and elusiveness for a defensive player. Can leap to knock down passes to receivers behind him or when rushing the quarterback. Runs with receivers and tight ends down the seam, although his lack of height puts him at a disadvantage.

Tackling: Rare tackling ability in space. Breaks down and is extremely difficult to elude once he's in the area. Drops his hips and plants the ballcarrier whenever possible. Strong arms and hands. Creates turnovers by getting his hands on the ball or wrapping arms around the ballcarrier. Uses hustle and aggression to overcome his limited reach.

Pass Rush/Blitz: Tough to stop when coming off the edge because of his closing speed, flexibility to turn the corner and determination. Agile enough to avoid running back and tight end blocks when blitzing and is capable of bull rushing or powering through the shoulder of interior linemen up the middle. Hits with a purpose when he sniffs out a quarterback rollout or bootleg.

Intangibles: Missed three games with a groin injury in 2009. Well-liked teammate with a high football IQ. Father of Navorro, Jr., born in the summer of 2009. Graduated in December (less than 4 years in school) with a degree in Crime, Law and Justice.

You don't pass up on that player do you?

He beat someone up when he was 19, failed to meet the terms of his probation, admitted to smoking marijuana and was given another probation term.

Has anyone else been in a fight as a teenager? Has anyone else smoked put or drank while underage? Has anyone been young and dumb and not realized the gravity of a situation and failed to meet your responsibilities?

 

[AmishCowboy]

I sure hope these bad character guys are a smokescreen.

He made a dumb decision at Penn St, but he's not a Bad Character guy at all. Now, he's a great linebacker, a true play maker, would be a nice replacement for Brooking down the line.

 

[AbeBeta]

I sure hope these bad character guys are a smokescreen.

I think we are pretty straight forward with the visit stuff. You only get so many, so I doubt Jerry would bring someone in who we didn't have a strong interest in. now he might not like the kid's answers when he gets here... but that is a different story.

 

[lkelly]

I wouldn't have any concerns about Bowman from a character perspective. A size perspective, maybe.

There's another thread I started in the draft zone yesterday that talks about him.

http://cowboyszone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=179860

 

[Woods]

Just to throw out a different perspective, here is something not so positive.

And just to be competely open, I have never seen this player in a game, so I'm posting this only for discussion . . . .

==============================================
Navorro Bowman LB Penn St

STRENGTHS
Navorro looks good in his uniform when he is on the field. He has decent speed and looks like he might be able to change directions if he moved more often. Navorro's white uniform looks the same from the beginning of the game until the end...white. He is adept at not getting any smudges or green spots on his uniform all during the game. Navorro played for a college team that is very smart in marketing its players for the draft every year. He does an excellent job running a play down and watching a teammate tackle the player he is running down. All of these factors should be taken into consideration when you profile a player like Navorro.

NEEDS TO IMPROVE
Although Navarro looks good in his uniform, he does not play well in his uniform. He shows no interest in tackling anyone, which might be a bit of a negative when evaluating a LB. He shows no interest in taking on a block so that others can make a tackle. He likes to defend against the pass in zone coverage, but that nasty tackling problem rears it ugly head once the player he is covering catches a pass. To simplify things -- Navorro looks the part of a college LB, but does not play the part of a college LB. Therefore, I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that he will not play that part any better at the next level either.

BOTTOM LINE
Maybe Navorro will wow them at the combine and make it into the top 100, but I pity the team that drafts him that high. The smartest thing that Navorro can do is what Aaron Maybin (DE/OLB Bills) did last year. Don't work out, leak that you gained weight, leak that you are faster than you are, don't sign your contract until the team that drafts you is desperate and after training camp is almost over. Then, come into camp out of football shape happy and live for the rest of your life as a person who fooled everyone in the draft... but me. Oh yeah, and burn all the tapes of every game you have played in. Don't worry about me, I will beat my head against the wall and poke my eye out with a stick and scream at the team that drafted you, but I will survive. I will turn the page and move on with one word on my lips to the team that drafts you in the top 100, "SUCKER!"

 

[goliadmike]

Wow Woods where did you get that from? That is just brutal.

 

[lkelly]

He shows no interest in tackling anyone, which might be a bit of a negative when evaluating a LB. He shows no interest in taking on a block so that others can make a tackle.

He led Penn State in total tackles, solo tackles, and assisted tackles, was second in tackles for loss, and third in sacks his junior year. During the Rose Bowl (against a USC team deep with NFL talent) he had a record tying 5 tackles for loss. Against Ohio State that year he had 10 tackles. Against Michigan, 11 and against Illinois, 10. In his first career start he had 11 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and an INT returned to the 1 yard line. He played 702 plays his junior season on a team that finished 8th in the country allowing 14.4 points per game. Amazing that he did all that standing around picking lint off his uniform.

That's a curious analysis considering it was completely subjective. It sounded more like it was written by a fan that just didn't like the guy on a personal level. Also interesting that the author makes claims that Penn State is so adept at marketing their players. The school is notorious for making it difficult for scouts to get in for info and rarely does anything from a promotional level for individual awards. If anything, I'd say it was the opposite.

Of course this post isn't directed at you, Woods. You've been upfront and said that you haven't seen him play. I'm suspicious that the author of that scouting report hasn't either.

 

[masomenos]

Wow Woods where did you get that from? That is just brutal.

The writing sounds the The Huddle Report.

Here's a video profile on Bowman, not a lot of highlights but some testimony from family and teammates. It talks about the emotional struggle that Bowman faced after the death of his father but doesn't address the incident that got him in trouble with the law.

[youtube]--IbIKKB26g[/youtube]

He's the kind of guy with past character issues that I would take a chance on. He seems to be very respected by his teammates, he sounds like he loves the game and he can play. I'd rather have a guy like him than a guy like Dez Bryant who, apparently, lacks passion for the game.

 

[AbeBeta]

He's the kind of guy with past character issues that I would take a chance on. He seems to be very respected by his teammates, he sounds like he loves the game and he can play. I'd rather have a guy like him than a guy like Dez Bryant who, apparently, lacks passion for the game.

Of course, the respected by his teammates part .... you could say that about lots of guys with issues... TO comes to mind.

 

[masomenos]

Of course, the respected by his teammates part .... you could say that about lots of guys with issues... TO comes to mind.

That's true, but with TO the problem was that he was a divisive force; while some players respected him, others were much less supportive of his presence. As far as I know, that's not an issue with Bowman.

 

[AmishCowboy]

If he was a bad guy, Joe Pa would have never let him on the team, All I can tell you is watching all the PSU games the kid is all over the field, you should have seen him in the Capital One Bowl against LSU.

 

[Woods]

Wow Woods where did you get that from? That is just brutal.

thehuddlereport.com.

again, i'm just throwing this out there. more for discussion than anything else.

 

[Woods]

The writing sounds the The Huddle Report.

Here's a video profile on Bowman, not a lot of highlights but some testimony from family and teammates. It talks about the emotional struggle that Bowman faced after the death of his father but doesn't address the incident that got him in trouble with the law.

[youtube]--IbIKKB26g[/youtube]

He's the kind of guy with past character issues that I would take a chance on. He seems to be very respected by his teammates, he sounds like he loves the game and he can play. I'd rather have a guy like him than a guy like Dez Bryant who, apparently, lacks passion for the game.

yes, it is from thehuddlereport.

interestingly, their opinion of the other LB, Sean Lee (?), is much, much better. He's in their top 10 prospects coming out this year.

again, i don't watch much college football in the u.k. so, i get my info from reading various sites, message boards, etc.

after i heard the cowboys were bringing him in, i did a bit more research on navarro and came across thehuddlereport's bio on him.

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

No thanks...

 

[arync]

I'm a PSU grad and I watch all the games. Navarro Bowmen is a beast and if he's on the board we should snatch him up quick. The kid makes plays all over the field.