Oklahoma State WR Adarius Bowman will have to continue to overcome adversity as he enters the 2008 NFL Draft.
Adarius Bowman looked to have it all entering the University of North Carolina in 2003. The former Tennessee prep star entered UNC as the one of the top recruits in the country after twice earning “Mr. Football” honors and scoring a TD at the Army High School All American Game.
Bowman played as a true freshman at UNC and looked every bit the star he was supposed to be. But the prep star was charged with possession of marijuana in October 2004 and dismissed from the team. Those charges were dropped, but not before Bowman had to suffer the unfortunate consequences.
“That experience helped me turn from a young boy into a man” Bowman said and after transferring to Oklahoma State, the dream was back on. In his first season as a Cowboy in 2006, he put up one of the greatest games ever seen by a collegiate wideout with a
13 catch, 300 yard, and 4 touchdown game against Kansas.
He finished the season with over 1,180 yards and 12 touchdowns and was marked as one to watch entering the 2007 season. Bowman credits Oklahoma State with welcoming him.
“I am glad I was given a second chance and Stillwater, Oklahoma showed me nothing but a great time from the minute I stepped on campus.”
Even more incredibly, Bowman accomplished all that with 20/900 vision – legally blind. He had LASIK eye surgery prior to the 2007 season to improve his eyesight. Bowman and the Cowboys were hyped as one of the best offenses in college football entering the 2007 season but turmoil at the QB position and a wicked schedule relegated Oklahoma State to the Insight Bowl where Bowman caught a touchdown in the victory.
Still, Bowman’s
second straight 1,000 yard season and 6’4, 220 lb frame had scouts excited. He was selected for the 2008 Senior Bowl, but the whispers started after a lackluster first day of practice.
“The first day, I had trouble bringing the ball in, with the different pace and working with different quarterbacks” Bowman explained and he stepped it up through the week, but the stigma was there.
Bowman had another round of LASIK surgery after the Senior Bowl and was not scheduled to participate at the 2008 Scouting Combine.
However, Bowman, caught up in the moment, did run and posted a
lackluster 4.74 forty time. That performance caused the media perception of Bowman to drop to a new low and focused more attention on his Pro Day.
“It was a chance to run routes and catch the balls in front of the NFL Coaches” Bowman stated as he was able to show the skills that served him in the past. Still, Bowman could not improve his forty yard dash time at the Pro Day, but he says that doesn’t worry him. “Some guys have better field speed than forty speed” Bowman reasoned.
Several receivers in recent years, including Brandon Marshall and Marques Colston, have been criticized for slow forty times or been called a tweener but gone on to success in the NFL.
Bowman says no NFL team has asked him about a potential move to TE or H-back. “I haven’t been approached about that” Bowman said but explained “If that’s what they want me to do when it comes down to it, we can talk about it, but I really have a lot of interest in being a wide out”.
Bowman put the question about his forty time to rest by saying “You never really run a straight forty yards on a football field anytime”/
From a storied prep career, Bowman suffered the roller coaster ride of being dismissed from UNC then setting Oklahoma State on fire before a somewhat disappointing 2007 season and questions about his ability at the next level.
Time will tell if Bowman can overcome yet another obstacle on his way to his NFL dream.
Last Updated ( Mar 20, 2008 at 09:15 AM )
