Talent display
Scheme flexibility, athleticism has Cougars LB rising within draft charts
UH’s Tyus Bowser shows his skills to NFL teams at the combine.
INDIANAPOLIS — Tyus Bowser grew accustomed to inflicting punishment on quarterbacks and running backs, delivering hard hits and capitalizing on his rare athleticism.
Whether it was Heisman Trophy-winning Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson or Oklahoma star quarterback Baker Mayfield, Bowser displayed a knack for harassing them into mistakes.
But the University of Houston outside linebacker absorbed a crushing blow of his own during an exercise intended to promote team camaraderie days prior to a September game against the University of Connecticut.
Bowser got into a scuffle with fellow linebacker Matt Adams during a heated altercation that got out of hand between the two longtime friends. Bowser got the worst of the exchange, suffering a broken orbital bone near his right eye that required surgery and sidelined him for five games during his senior year.
“We get very competitive about these team-bonding things,” Bowser said. “We always talk trash, the usual stuff 20-year-old guys do, very competitive. It just happens. I tend to be good at the game, so a lot of guys get mad about it. When I win, I just beat the guy.
“He took it a little personal. We were in each other’s face, and coaches and players tried to get between us as far as breaking us up.
“He took a swing at me and it landed. We talked about it. He apologized. We’re both grown men. We’re still best friends.”
Bowser didn’t let the incident derail his senior year, though. He thrived despite being limited to eight games, leading the Cougars with 8½ sacks.
Moving up draft boards
That matched the total recorded by Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett, the projected top overall pick of the draft. He finished with a dozen tackles for losses.
Extrapolating his numbers if he had maintained that pace over a full 13 games, Bowser would have finished the season with 76 tackles, 19½ tackles for losses and 14 sacks. Bowser was ultra-productive despite being utilized heavily in pass coverage on third downs as he operated as more of a classic 4-3 outside linebacker after playing defensive end earlier in his career.
Now, Bowser is an ascending NFL draft prospect. He excelled at the prestigious Senior Bowl all-star game and checked off another box at the NFL scouting combine Sunday when he thrived in testing and looked smooth in positional drills.
Once regarded as a thirdround draft target, Bowser is now firmly in the secondround conversation.
“I’m very impressed with the Bowser kid,” an NFL executive said. “He’s an athlete. He’s tough, fast and has outstanding hips.
“I think he’s versatile. He can rush the passer. He can drop back into coverage. He can stop the run. He looks like he would be a threedown guy in the NFL with a little more polish. I like him a lot. I think he’ll do very well.”
‘It’s a job interview’
At 6-3, 247 pounds, Bowser ran the 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds. He registered a 37½-inch vertical leap, a 10-7 broad jump and bench-pressed 225 pounds 21 times.
Rising before dawn each day at the combine for medical exams and testing and staying up late for interviews with NFL teams, including the Cowboys and Texans, Bowser made a strong impression.
“Pretty much every day, it’s a job interview,” Bowser said. “Getting off the plane, being at the airport, you’ve got people watching you. At the bus, at the hospital, it’s a job interview.
“You’ve got to take it seriously, be professional about it. You’re trying to get a job. You’re trying to get a team to like you.”
Represented by veteran agent Jeff Nalley of Houstonbased sports agency Select Sports, Bowser has plenty of teams that like him.
A converted basketball player who played shooting guard at John Tyler High School and was on the Cougars’ basketball team for two seasons, Bowser is mobile and strong.
His basketball background is paying dividends on the football field.
“It helps a lot,” Bowser said. “Being on the court, you’ve got to be able to move your feet to defend and have the hips to defend quick players. That translates on the field as far as covering receivers and tight ends. That really came into play.”
As a junior, Bowser started every game and finished with 50 tackles, 6½ for losses and 5½ sacks. As a freshman and sophomore, he combined for 7½ sacks.
He had 24 sacks as a high school senior and teammate of UH quarterback Greg Ward Jr. and averaged 16.8 points and 7.9 rebounds that year on the basketball team.
Next-level versatility
Because of how explosive Bowser is, many NFL scouts believe his best football is ahead of him.
“I’m a competitive spirit guy who works hard and gives maximum effort and is able to rush the quarterback,” Bowser said. “I have good feet, and I’m able to drop into coverage. Coach (Tom) Herman back at Houston demanded we run to the ball, play hard, make sure our technique is sound.
“That all comes into play. I used that at the Senior Bowl. Being able to rush the passer, having good hips, being around the ball, being able to cover receivers and tight ends in the open field, those are some of my strengths.”
Bowser’s game provides scheme flexibility. He could operate as a 4-3 strongside outside linebacker or as a 3-4 outside linebacker.
“A lot of teams see me as a 4-3 Sam linebacker off the ball,” Bowser said. “I don’t mind trying any position.”
The UH coaching staff urged Bowser to become an outspoken voice in the locker room. He’s gradually becoming more comfortable having that type of presence.
“They wanted me to be a vocal leader, and it was a process,” Bowser said. “I’m not a talkative guy. I’ve been working on it. It really helped me out as I move on to the next level to use my voice, to be a leader out there.”