Scouting Profile: Billy Bowman - SAF - Oklahoma
Sales Pitch: Athletic free safety with a light skinny frame. Negative run defender, but has the range and ball skills of a true center fielder.
*Gold Numbers Indicate NCAA T-25 for 2024*
Scouting Report
Billy Bowman is a former 4-Star recruit from the state of Texas. A 41 game starter across 4 years for the Sooners, he was a vital piece on the backend for the entirety of his career. Bowman started every game his final two seasons in Norman, receiving All-Conference honors in both seasons.
Bowman is a quick footed safety with easy long speed and movement skills. An experienced player he assumed a major role as the main leader and communicator for the Sooner’s secondary. Bowman is a quick processor, efficiently sorting through routes in front of him and reading QBs’ eyes. He has a lighting quick trigger to close out of deep coverage on routes passing through his zone. He has easy range from single and two high alignments with hip fluidity to quickly open up and run. Bowman put up excellent ball production over the course of 4 years with 11 interceptions and 9 pass breakups. His ball tracking, speed and instincts make him a threat to track down and coral balls to all areas of the field. Bowman’s size holds him back a bit as a run defender, but he plays with a good motor and solid toughness. His key and diagnose skills allow him to quickly run the alley where he plays with proper leverage and pursuit angles.
Bowman is extremely small for an NFL safety with his height and weight both coming in sub-10th percentile. His light frame is easily pushed around and makes playing with physicality in any aspect of his game a challenge. When matched up in man coverage, bigger WRs are able to use their size to separate at the top of routes and box him out at the catch point. Bowman doesn’t project well to duties in the box where his frame is easily overwhelmed by blockers. The biggest concern with his frame is its effect on his tackling. Bowman sports a career missed tackle rate of 25% with all four of his seasons falling above a 20% clip. His small body easily bounces off the legs of ball carriers and lacks the length or power to drag them down. He overcompensates by trying to deliver blows with his shoulder leaving him lunging off balance and whiffing in space.
Bowman profiles best a free safety in a zone heavy scheme. If left to roam deep center field, his instincts, speed and ball skills will allow him to be a quality starter. However, teams that require their safeties to rotate down or cannot protect him from being forced into the box will find its difficult to overcome his lack of size and strength. Bowman projects as a late Day-2 safety option for teams in need of a ball hawk on the back end.