2011 NFL Mock Draft: Will Da'Quan Bowers Knee Injury Drop Him to the Saints?

The Saints Have Needs On The Defense

The saga of Da'Quan Bowers has taken an interesting turn as his underwhelming Pro Day reverberates through the NFL World. Now there are reports his knee not only is not fully healed but may need further surgery.

The New Orleans Saints could use a healthy Da'Quan Bowers, and if his medical report is not what the Top 10 teams want it to be, he will drop. For the Saints, Bowers becomes a good value pick even if he is not 100 percent.

The Saints need to acquire better run defenders, which was made quite obvious by Marshawn Lynch in the playoffs. The Saints also have to improve a few other areas of their defense, and Bowers becomes a way of upgrading their pass rush.

The Saints have to use their first-round pick to shore up the defense. While arguments can be made for other positions, the defensive is the team's biggest need right now.

Bowers is an elite pass rusher, so the Saints get good value out of this pick. Bowers could be 100 percent by the time there is a 2011 season, and if he performs as advertised, every team who passed him up will regret it.

1. Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton 2. Denver Broncos: Marcell Dareus 3. Buffalo Bills: Patrick Peterson 4. Cincinnati Bengals: Julio Jones	17. New England Patriots: Ryan Kerrigan 18. San Diego Chargers: Cameron Heyward 19. New York Giants: Nate Solder 20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Adrian Clayborn
5. Arizona Cardinals: Von Miller 6. Cleveland Browns: Robert Quinn 7. San Francisco 49ers: Nick Fairley 8. Tennessee Titans: Blaine Gabbert	21. Kansas City Chiefs: Akeem Ayers 22. Indianapolis Colts: Anthony Castonzo 23. Philadelphia Eagles: Derek Sherrod 24. New Orleans Saints: Da'Quan Bowers
9. Dallas Cowboys: Tyron Smith 10. Washington Redskins: A.J. Green 11. Houston Texans: Prince Amukamara 12. Minnesota Vikings: Jake Locker	25. Seattle Seahawks: Justin Houston 26. Baltimore Ravens: Muhammad Wilkerson 27. Atlanta Falcons: Cameron Jordan 28. New England Patriots: Torrey Smith
13. Detroit Lions: J.J. Watt 14. St. Louis Rams: Corey Liuget 15. Miami Dolphins: Mark Ingram 16. Jacksonville Jaguars: Aldon Smith	29. Chicago Bears: Gabe Carimi 30. New York Jets: Phil Taylor 31. Pittsburgh Steelers: Mike Pouncey 32. Green Bay Packers: Brooks Reed

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Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/660232-2011-nfl-mock-draft-will-jake-locker-fall-out-of-the-first-round/entry/61698-2011-nfl-mock-draft-will-daquan-bowers-knee-injury-drop-him-to-the-saints

Josh Howard Jason Terry Jason Kidd Dirk Nowitzki Jerry Stackhouse J.R Smith