• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

OL Branden Bowen (2nd Team All B1G)

My guess would be because he has a kid and would like to get paid.
Even as a UFA he could make good money if he makes a roster (minimum half mil a year). If he didn't make a roster and only made a practice squad, he'd still make around $7,000 a week or around $112,000 for the season (if he were on the squad the whole season as practice squads go by a week-by-week basis).
 
Upvote 0
BRANDEN BOWEN EXCITED TO SHOWCASE HIS SKILLS AT OHIO STATE'S PRO DAY AS HE PREPARES FOR NFL CAREER TO BEGIN

112674_h.jpg


Branden Bowen didn’t have much time to decompress after Ohio State’s Fiesta Bowl loss to Clemson. He didn’t even come back to Columbus.

Just four days after his final season as a Buckeye came to an end in Glendale, Arizona, Bowen began training for his pre-draft NFL workouts at EXOS San Diego in Carlsbad, California. He stayed out there until two weekends ago, when he finally returned to Columbus, where he is now continuing his training alongside fellow former Ohio State offensive lineman and 2020 NFL draft hopeful Jonah Jackson in advance of Ohio State’s March 25 pro day.

Staying out west after the Fiesta Bowl was a sacrifice for Bowen, as it meant he had to spend two months away from his fiancée and infant son. He decided that was worth it, though, in order to get the best possible training for pro day with an eye toward proving he should be selected in next month’s NFL draft.

“It’s definitely tough, but when you see the bigger picture and why you’re doing all this stuff, it makes it a lot easier,” Bowen said.

Bowen said he enjoyed having the opportunity to train at EXOS alongside other draft prospects from around the nation, giving him the chance to get to know new people and get a glimpse into what their college football programs were like. He also had that opportunity at the East-West Shrine Bowl, where he spent a week in St. Petersburg, Florida, in January, practicing and playing in an all-star game in front of NFL scouts.

One of the biggest things that stood out to Bowen from those experiences was how well-developed he was by Ohio State in comparison to some of the draft prospects he met from other schools.

“It’s definitely eye-opening. You see why we’re as good as we’ve been every year,” Bowen told Eleven Warriors at this weekend's Midwest Sports Spectacular. “Drawing up plays, drawing up the offense, being able to draw the defense across from it ... I didn’t really realize in college how rare that was, but being around other guys and seeing their ability to do that or ability to not be able to do that, is really eye-opening and shows me how much (Ohio State) really did for me in terms of that.”

There will be some adjustments Bowen has to make to play in the NFL, such as learning different terminology and different personnel formations – he said the Shrine Bowl was the first time he’d ever played in an offense with a true fullback – but the skills he learned from Greg Studrawa and his other coaches at Ohio State could give him a head start on his competition.

It also helps that one of his closest friends from Ohio State, Jamarco Jones, has already been in the NFL for two years and is sharing some of the tricks of the trade with Bowen as he goes through the draft process.

“I talk to Jamarco Jones probably every day, just about the schedule, about what my life is really looking like, because if you don’t have someone like that, you just really have no idea what you’re in for,” Bowen said.

Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...ro-day-as-he-prepares-for-nfl-career-to-begin
 
Upvote 0
Upvote 0


Branden Bowen (OT)


Bowen was the starting right tackle for Ohio State this past season after missing all of 2018 while recovering from a leg injury sustained against Maryland in 2017. He looked to pick up right where he left off, and was a solid and reliable option for the Buckeyes at one of the most important spots along a sturdy offensive line.

While Bowen himself did not expect to blow anyone away with his Pro Day tests, he did expect to show NFL personnel and scouts how well he is able to move. He wanted to be able to expel any of the fears and concerns those at the next level may have regarding his leg and any lingering effects of his injury and the ensuing surgery.

“That’s the biggest question mark on me — can I stay healthy. I don’t think a lot of people realize my injury was a broken bone, therefore it’s not like an ACL where you’re more at risk of breaking it again and inhibiting my play. It’s showing I’m healthy and can play again,” Bowen told Cleveland.com. If a team decides to take a chance on the big, athletic blocker, he could likely play either tackle or guard in the NFL.
 
Upvote 0




Re: An undrafted player essentially receives an invite to compete in training camp with no guarantees of making the final roster. This is the same even for players selected in the draft who can also be released during the preseason.

Undrafted free agents who make the final roster stand to make even more money. Raiders wide receiver Keelan Doss was a great example of this in 2019 as he landed a $495,000 base salary along with a $300,000 signing bonus, per NBC Sports Bay Area’s Scott Bair. Doss was also allowed to keep the initial $22,500 salary he received as an undrafted free agent.
https://heavy.com/sports/2020/04/nfl-undrafted-free-agents-salary-players-contract/

Just sayin': I'm thinking that is better to not be drafted in the last round and get to be an UFA. The pay is about the same: however, you get to select your team, not vice versa.
 
Upvote 0
Back
Top