Big Blue View
Can Bowman be a versatile piece for the Giants’ defense?
The New York Giants have a young and talented secondary, at least on paper. They’ve added quite a bit through free agency and the draft, but are they done building the back end of their defense?
Oklahoma defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. is listed as a safety, however he’s a very versatile player with great movement skills. He can play a variety of positions and alignments in most modern defenses, which could make him a great value if he slips on draft day.
Could that value appeal to the Giants?
Prospect: Billy Bowman Jr. (2)
Games Watched: vs. Iowa State (2023), vs. Texas (2023), vs. Tennessee (2024), vs. Texas (2024)
Red Flags: Hamstring (2021), Knee (2022)
Best traits
Billy Bowman Jr. is a compact, athletic, aggressive, and versatile defensive back.
Bowman primarily played safety for the Sooners, splitting time between strong and free safety depending on the situation. He has a dense build at 5-foot 9 ⅞ inches, 192 pounds, and combines that with excellent speed (4.42-second 40-yard dash). Bowman also has exceptionally quick feet and his hips are very fluid for a safety, which allows him to execute (off) man coverage assignments well.
His athleticism allows him to quickly get good depth in his zone drops as well as quickly fire downhill from depth. Bowman is quick enough that he doesn’t need to settle before changing directions and has a high play speed.
He flashes impressive instincts and has very good ball skills – he had 6 interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns, in 2023 before teams began avoiding him in 2024. Bowman has great range in coverage and is able to close receiving windows from a surprising distance away. Likewise, he’s very physical at the catch point and can jar the ball loose even if the catch is initially made.
Bowman is a very tough player and seems to relish the physical side of the game. He reportedly begged coaches to let him play on special teams despite injuring his knee on a kick return in 2022. He’s also a very willing run defender and a big hitter when he arrives at the point of attack.
Worst traits
There are two main weaknesses in Bowman’s game, one that could be coachable and one that isn’t.
Starting with the one he can’t do anything about, Bowman is short and has short arms. He isn’t “undersized” at 192 pounds – that’s pretty densely built for a guy measuring 5-foot-10. However, being 5-foot-10 with 29 ½ inch arms will likely lead to size concerns in draft rooms. Bowman could find it difficult to take on blocks at the NFL level, as well as deal with bigger wide receivers in coverage. He doesn’t have a big “catch denial” radius and won’t be able to high-point the ball against longer NFL...
