With The 2nd Pick In The 2011 Stampede Blue Community Mock Draft, The Denver Broncos Select...

Da'Quan Bowers, DE - Clemson

Pick made by chad72:

Da'Quan Bowers followed Ricky Sapp, who attended the same high school, and the late Gaines Adams in the school's tradition of outstanding defensive ends. He stepped in as a true freshman (though he graduated early to take part in spring practices), earning freshman All-American honors after starting six games, making 37 stops, eight for loss, one sack, and numerous QB pressures. Bowers missed some time in 2009 due to a knee injury, but still managed 46 tackles (11 in the ACC Championship game loss to Georgia Tech), 10.5 for loss, and three sacks.
 
The knock on him is that he has had only one great year. He was ACC Defensive Player of the Year as a junior with 25 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks. His play was actually fueled by the death of his mentor, Adams (cardiac arrest) and his father (seizure) in the span of 12 months. His strength at the point of attack as run-stopper and sack-master gives him the potential to be a long-time playmaker like Shaun Ellis or possibly even a game-changing 4-3 strong-side end in the Michael Strahan mold.
 
The Broncos finished dead last in the NFL with just 23 sacks. That figure will rise next year with Elvis Dumervil back in the lineup, but Denver still needs another pass-rusher up front.

New head coach John Fox has a thing for athletic defensive ends. In his first year with the Panthers, he selected Julius Peppers at No. 2 overall in the 2002 NFL Draft. With Denver presumably moving back to the 4-3, Fox will really consider Bowers with this pick, as Bowers will remind him of Peppers from a pure athletic standpoint. Like Peppers, Bowers is stout at the point of attack as a run stopper too and given the Broncos' run D and pass rush woes, Bowers seems like the best fit.

If Bowers is taken #2 overall, it'll be the 3rd time in the past 4 years that a DL was chosen second overall (Chris Long, Ndamukong Suh), and the highest draft pick in Clemson history (4th, Gaines Adams).

Da'Quan Bowers Scouting Report from Mocking the Draft

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