Potential top-five pick Da'Quan Bowers, who won't be working out at the 2011 NFL Combine due to a recent knee surgery, still met with the media on Saturday to answer questions. He lists Alabama's Andre Smith and Auburn's Lee Ziemba as the toughest competition he faced in his college career, expresses humility at the comparisons being made about his talent, and lists another longtime Carolinian as his NFL model: Julius Peppers.
He also says his torn meniscus is "100 percent" healed, and that he postponed his workout to give himself sufficient training time.
He says he's yet to meet one-on-one with any NFL teams, though he passes along a note from former teammate C.J. Spiller on the conditions surrounding the Buffalo Bills: "it's cold." Bowers could end up joining Spiller in Buffalo -- as you can see from his hat, he's already gearing up for the move north.
Bowers says he hurt his knee while making a sack against N.C. State midseason, and that it won't be a setback while prepping for the NFL Draft. He'll work out at Clemson's pro day on March 10.