Da'Quan Bowers leads a deep class of Defensive Ends.

Pay attention Bucs fans, this is literally the part of the big board that pertains directly to you. The Bucs needs a defensive end or a pass-rush specialist badly, last year the secondary bailed the Bucs out of a lot of passing situations. This year (especially with Taqib Alib in legal trouble) the Bucs will need to actually generate a pass-rush. It wouldn’t hurt if the end in question could also help against the run too. Last season the Buccaneers were bottom five in sacks and run defense, both need to improve for a playoff run to happen in 2011.

Fortunately this is a great class for defensive ends, there are between six-to-eight players that could find themselves being picked within the first round. Not all of them project to be 4-3 ends, some project to be outside linebackers, but there is certainly plenty of talent to pick from in this class.

Here are the Defensive Ends in the 2011 NFL Draft:

1.) Da’Quan Bowers, Clemson - A lot of people are down on Da’Quan Bowers because he’s been nicked up recently, that may actually work to the Buccaneers’ advantage. Bowers could potentially fall from the top of the first into the 20′s, that’s a prospect the Bucs would jump at. Bowers has all the physical tools to be a solid pass-rusher, the one knock on his pass-rushing is he needs to improve his first step. Beyond that though there’s not much to change, Bowers has elite upper-body strength and good leverage to abuse college tackles. Is already well-equipped to be a run-stopper on the strong side. Does need to improve some fundamental issues here and there but he has become a student of the game. In the past year after losing his father and mentor (Gaines Adams), Bowers has dropped 20 pounds and recommitted himself to football. All the marks against him during the draft process are also fuel for that fire. This kid is going to be very good.

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