Ras-I Dowling, who has been injured off-and-on all season, will miss the remainder of the year with a fractured ankle.
The oft-injured Dowling is done for the year
I’ve been saying all season that Ras-I Dowling is the most overrated draft prospect, and this now solidifies my prediction that he won’t be selected before the 3rd round (albeit for reasons I could not have foreseen).
Dowling is a paper tiger of a draft prospect. He’s a decent player, but his inflated draft stock was buoyed by his size (he’s listed at 6’2″, 200 lbs).
6’2″ cornerbacks don’t come around often, which made him stand out. However, his play on the field rarely lived up to expectations – despite playing in a conference devoid of many NFL-caliber receivers. He doesn’t have the speed or quickness necessary to play corner in the NFL, and I believe he will eventually be moved to safety.
Now I don’t mean imply that Dowling will be a bust in the NFL. He may develop into a quality defensive back, I just don’t believe – regardless of the injury – that he’s done anything to deserve 1st or 2nd round consideration.
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