Clemson DE Da'Quan Bowers Feels 100% In Workout

Former Clemson defensive end Da'Quan Bowers made his point to NFL teams on Friday: His right knee is fine. Bowers, the junior lineman who came out early, was considered a top-five NFL draft pick after a year when he led the country with 15½ sacks and won the Nagurski and Ted Hendricks awards, but knee surgery on his meniscus the week after the Tigers' bowl game bred whispers about Bowers' physical condition, something he set out to disprove at Death Valley. "I think I had a decent day. I think I got the point across I was trying to get across," Bowers said. Bowers said he had a 40-yard dash time in the "low 4.8s," which was slower than he had hoped, but he said he was a month behind other draft prospects in preparations because of the injury, which occurred Nov. 6 in Clemson's 14-13 victory over North Carolina State. "The knee is fine, I'm 100 percent," Bowers said. "I still have a lot of work to do. Still strengthening and getting it back to where it needs to be. But it's not hurting. It's not giving me any problems." Bowers was talked about as the potential No. 1 selection soon after Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck decided on another season of college ball. Bowers' operation -- he did not work out at February's scouting combine as he recovered -- dampened talk of such a high selection, a slide that could cost him millions of dollars. "Honestly, I think it frustrated everybody around me except me," he said. "I knew I was healthy and I was waiting for today to exploit my talents."

Source: ESPN

 

He may feel his knee is 100% but that 40 time would make me re-think of spending a high draft pick on him.

 

I wonder what would've happened if he could have given 110%

 

It's got to be hard for a player to recover from an injury and prepare for a pro day at the same time. He might be 100% but how could he have gotten in proper shape to do his best.

 

he lied.

 

It seems he would have been better served by saying he WASNT at 100%. The accounts make it sound like he did terribly, if he was at 100%, or what he feels is 100%, and performed like that, that's a crapload worse than admitting you couldn't perform due to injury.