In the world of sports, athletes on the cusp of greatness should always have a backup plan in case of emergency. This notion has never been truer than in the case of Bobby Cowan.
Cowan, who staked his collegiate career on kicking footballs, was the one throwing them. The 6-foot-5 punter for the Idaho Vandals was once a former quarterback. Though many small schools took a look Cowan, he traded his wristband for a pair of soccer cleats.
As it turns out, Cowan’s decision to follow in his father’s footsteps as a specialist for the Vandals was a great one. Cowan, through hard work and instruction has become one of the nation’s most elite punters heading into the 2013 NFL Draft.
Cowan was voted as an All-American by the Football Writers of America and a Ray Guy Finalist in 2011. Additionally, Cowan was named Idaho’s Special Teams Captain this year and earned Second Team All-WAC honors. He is a 4-year starter who practically rewrote the Vandals record books with his career punting average of 44.7 yards; a statistic that surely led to his invitation to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.
At the Combine, reports via nationalfootballpost.com have stated that Cowan was clearly the best punter on Friday.
“Cowan showed off a strong leg driving the ball extremely well initially. He blasted three punts over 48 yards with excellent hang time to start, but then lost steam and did not drive the ball as well on the remainder of his punts. In the directional punting drill, Cowan was outstanding to the right nearly putting the ball into the barrel and while he was solid to the left he was not as impressive to that side.”
With Cowan approaching that 50-yard benchmark that causes NFL teams salivate, he may find himself having his name called on Day 3 of the NFL Draft this April. As the league continues to transition into a vertical attack highlighted by the deep ball, teams like Eagles, Lions, and Bills are all in need of a big boot to win the battle for favorable field position. Teams may also have the ability to run a few trick plays with Cowan’s previous experience as a quarterback.
If not drafted, several teams may find themselves in need of a cheap Special Teams option for the 2013 season. Based solely on an eye test, the physical presence of Cowan alone will earn him an invitation to a few training camps, with the potential of landing a spot on the Opening Day roster this season. Special Teams is generally ignored in the Draft, so expect Cowan to make his name during training camp sessions in the pre-season.
