5th Round (#165)
James Cowser – OLB/DE – Southern Utah
Strengths: Very active with good first step and agility. Quality closing speed to pursue QB on the move. Very good with his hands to fight off blockers. Very intelligent individual who excels in football knowledge and class room. Driven towards reaching his goals on and off the field. High motor and plays 100% for all 60 minutes.
Weaknesses: He’s older than most prospects which means there is a lower ceiling on his development. While he shows good initial burst and movement, he lacks secondary moves and can be stymied by quality blockers. Doesn’t always play with good leverage and can be driven out of the play.
The Fit: After Free Agency, the linebacker corps is a bit crowded, but that should never stop a team from looking to add talent late in the draft. Like Jatavis Brown did with Jason Taylor at Akron, Cowser is the guy who erased Jared Allen from the Southern Utah record books.
He is a quality pass rusher who still has room to grow as a player. He possesses all of the traits a coach likes to see in a Special Teams guy, and plays with a tenacity that can be contagious. In the short term, he makes a great depth option and project player. In the long term…well, we’ll see.
Next: Some More DL Work