To start with my inaugural post we are going to take a PREMIUM- up close and personal look at second year Patriots defensive back, Ras-i Dowling. After being selected with the 33rd overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft many Patriots fans raised some eyebrows with the selection as the Patriots traded out of the first round after selecting Colorado offensive tackle Nate Solder at pick 17. Just a year prior the Patriots had drafted a rookie Pro Bowl cornerback in Devin McCourty. Many questioned the need to draft yet ANOTHER cornerback so high in the draft. Many of you might not have even known who Ras-i Dowling even was. Dowling, a star cornerback out of Virginia, was ranked the 6th best cornerback on NFLDraftScout.com and had a red flag for many teams coming out of college due to his oft injury concerns. In 2010 Dowling battled a multitude of various injuries including knee, hamstring and ankle injuries and only appearing in 5 games for Virginia which really set his draft stock back. Looking at his measurables he has excellent size at 6'1 and 198lbs.
Virginia cornerback's Coach Chip West gushed about Ras-i's unique skill set explaining what he saw while coaching Dowling.
"I saw a good player who possessed good man coverage skills. With the size Ras-I has, one thing I'm not sure people understand is the type of movements he has. He moves fluently and possesses a unique skill set for a player that size."
Ras-i not only possesses great size, he recorded an official 4.46 40 time at the NFL Combine. This combination of size and speed could prove to be an asset to the Patriots secondary. Ras-i was a team captain and leader at Virginia and was described by coaches to be a high character athlete. Another thing that jumps off the board when looking at him is the versatility that he can bring. As any well educated Patriot fan may know Bill Belichick feels versatility is a valuable trait to carry as a player especially coming into the NFL as an unproven rookie talent. Dowling was not only looming in the secondary of his high school in Chesapeake,Virginia- but he was also a capable receiver recording 14 receptions for 255 yards and 4 touchdowns. Ras-i even played sparingly at Quarterback. The versatility Ras-i brings coupled with his unique skill set makes Ras-i an intriguing player to watch heading into the 2012 season. Many of you may not remember Dowling nursing a leg injury during the 2011 pre season, but what was telling on how Patriots coaching felt about him was Ras-i starting the first two games of the 2011 season before suffering a hip injury in week 2 against the San Diego Chargers. Ras-i was inserted into the starting lineup with no off-season program and limited practice time. On October 29th 2011 the New England Patriots placed Ras-i Dowling on season ending injury reserve putting an abrupt end to the young defenders rookie campaign. He recorded a total of 3 tackles. The New England Patriots secondary ultimately struggled last season between player injuries and inconsistency. There was literally a revolving door in the secondary picking up guys off the street such as Antwan Molden and Sterling Moore. The secondary was in such despair that special teams captain Matthew Slater and Wide Receiver Julian Edelman has to take snaps on defense to fill the void on a last place ranked defense. The secondary can't possibly be any worse this season. Hopefully the secondary will return to form in 2012 with players returning from injury as well as the new additions of Stephen Gregory, 2012 draft picks Tavon Wilson, and Alphonso Dennard. This summer Dowling will have a shot at reclaiming a starting spot opposite of Devin McCourty and will have a full NFL off season under his belt. Last season with the lockout it may have hindered Dowling's performance and could have very well been a factor in sustaining his injury. Ras-i has reportedly stayed in the Foxboro area all off-season to rehab his hip injury. Ras-i appears healthy and participating in OTA's as the Patriots will be counting on him to have a vital role heading into the 2012 season. Here are a few comments from Patriots coach Bill Belichick on Ras-i Dowling following the 2011 NFL Draft-
With the unique size of Dowling it was asked if he could potentially project to Safety in the Patriots system. Here is more of what Coach Belichick had to say-
"He hasn't played safety," Belichick said of Dowlings play in college. "I think he has the size, ball skills and tackling ability that you could probably make an argument that he could project in there if you wanted him to. I think for right now, we'll play him at the corner, but he is big. He does tackle well. He's tough. He's got good range, good ball skills. I wouldn't say that he couldn't play in there, but that isn't really what he's done."
"He hasn't played safety," Belichick said of Dowlings play in college. "I think he has the size, ball skills and tackling ability that you could probably make an argument that he could project in there if you wanted him to. I think for right now, we'll play him at the corner, but he is big. He does tackle well. He's tough. He's got good range, good ball skills. I wouldn't say that he couldn't play in there, but that isn't really what he's done."
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