I never thought the Kansas City Chiefs would select DE Da'Quan Bowers in the 2011 NFL draft but I followed his story throughout the draft.
Throughout the 2010 college football season he was routinely referred to as a potential top five pick in the 2011 NFL draft. He was one of those athletic speed-rushers we've been seeing in recent years that always seem to get drafted in the top 10.
The problem arose from some sort of injury Bowers suffered that could cause long-term problems. (His side, of course, denied that was the case.) He fell all the way down to the 51st pick in the draft.
Bucs coach Raheem Morris said Bowers is coming along nicely at the moment.
"He's coming along really well," Morris said. "He's really come on when we put the pads on. We knew that was going to be his game anyway. He's a giant 280-pound end. Those guys are huge. You can see the power rush is kind of his game. . . And we're starting to see it more and more now that the pads are on."
He's one of the most intriguing stories in the 2011 NFL draft. He might have the biggest gap between ceiling and floor of any player picked last April so it'll be interesting to see how he does.
The Chiefs will get the first crack at him on Friday night.