Bowers' drop into second round could cost millions

by TigerNet Staff - Fri Apr 29 00:42:53 GMT-04:00 2011

Former Clemson defensive end Da'Quan Bowers decided to forego his senior season and enter the NFL draft, citing his almost-certain status as a first round draft pick as one of the main reasons.

The first round of the 2011 NFL draft was held Thursday night, and concerns over his injured right knee [he had a torn meniscus] dropped Bowers completely out of the first round. In all, 12 defensive linemen were taken in the round, an NFL draft record, but Bowers’ name was not called.

Before the knee troubles became a concern, he was considered by many to be a top five pick, and even the No. 1 overall pick by some. However, once the torn meniscus came to light and the possibility he might have arthritis – teams backed off.

What does that mean in terms of compensation? We don’t know for sure – especially considering the NFL labor situation – but we can look at the signing status of last year’s draft picks in order to gain some insight.

The first defensive lineman taken in the 2010 draft was Ndamukong Suh, who was taken with the second overall pick by the Detroit Lions. He was given a 5-year, $59.6 million contract, with $40 million of that guaranteed.

The first defensive end taken last year was Jason Pierre-Paul, who was taken 15th by the New York Giants. This is the area many had thought Bowers might fall into – the 15-20 range – and Pierre-Paul was given a 5-year, $15.484 million contract, with $11.6 million of that guaranteed.

Now that Bowers has fallen into second round territory, let’s take a look at what some second round picks earned last year.

The first pick of the second round in 2010 was Rodger Saffold, the offensive tackle who was taken by the St. Louis Rams. He was given a 4-year contract for $6.3 million, $3.9 million of which was guaranteed.

The first defensive lineman selected in the second round was Brian Price, who was taken with the 35th pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His contract was for four years and $5.32 million, with $3.55 million of that guaranteed – a $37 million drop in guaranteed money compared to what Suh brought home.

The first defensive end taken in the second round was Carlos Dunlap, who was taken 54th by the Cincinnati Bengals. He was given a 4-year contract worth $3.569 million, and $1.779 million of that was guaranteed.