Baltimore Ravens: which young linebacker will step up?

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Dec 5, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Cougars linebacker Tyus Bowser (81) reacts after intercepting the ball against the Temple Owls in the first half in the Mid-American Conference football championship game at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports /

The Argument for Tyus Bowser:

Tyus Bowser was the Ravens second round pick of this year’s draft and his expectations both from the fan base and also the coaching staff are enormous.

The 6’3″ 247 lbs linebacker from Houston is expected to come in as a rookie and make in impact throughout the defense. He has a great motor and does well the chase down the ball.

If you’ve read anything about Tyus Bowser since he was drafted, you should know by now that he played two years of basketball at Houston before committing full-time to football. This is obvious when watching him drop into coverage.

Bowser is quick, twitchy, and nimble in coverage based off of what he learned as a basketball player. This is extremely attractive for a Ravens team looking to continue improving against the pass.

As a pass rusher, Bowser contains a vast variety of tools he could put to use. His speed off the edge is great and has strength and some technique to rush the passer effectively.

Examining Bowser’s Problem Areas:

While Bowser contains all the tools to be great, the production doesn’t quite match what we see.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com put it best with this quote :

"“Still has issues where he looks like a basketball guy learning football.”"

This can be problematic for obvious reasons. Being a rookie will mean that teams will test him early and often in pass coverage. Bowser will need to adjust quickly or his confidence could be shattered.

Overall, his athleticism is off-the-charts good, but that won’t matter even a little bit if he can’t develop and use his talents to succeed.

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