Billy Bowman Jr.’s NFL Draft slide was about size, but Falcons fans will soon know better

Billy Bowman Jr. was finally overlooked for the last time.

The Atlanta Falcons selected Bowman, a safety, with the 118th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft on Saturday, the third and final day of the event. Bowman was the eighth safety taken in this year's draft.

Oklahoma's Billy Bowman Jr. will be steal from NFL Draft

Bowman will be one of the most experienced rookies in the class with 47 career games and 41 starts under his belt in four seasons at OU, where he made his first start as a freshman in 2021.

In those four seasons, Bowman tallied 199 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 11 interceptions, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and 14 pass breakups. He's a proven ballhawk whose nine interceptions during the 2022-23 seasons were the third-most in the country during that span. Bowman also led the nation with 249 interception return yards and tied for the lead with three interceptions returned for a touchdown during those two seasons.

Bowman was All-SEC Third Team in 2024 during OU's first season in the conference and in 2023 was a CBS Sports/247Sports First-Team All-American and All-Big 12 First Team.

Despite all that experience and success, Bowman still had a rather low draft stock because of his size, listed at a generous 5-foot-10 and 192 pounds. He's also been listed at 5-foot-9 at different times in his career. It was really the only knock on Bowman throughout the pre-draft process, and had him as a projected Day 2 or even Day 3 pick, and ultimately sliding to Day 3.

Bowman impressed every time he was in front of NFL scouts, though, particularly at the Senior Bowl and combine, to slightly improve his stock. At the combine, he put up a 4.42 40-yard dash, which was the fourth-fastest among participating safeties. He also had the fourth-most bench reps from the position with 17.

According to NFL.com's scouting profile, Bowman will eventually be a "plus starter" in the NFL. He'll become a defensive staple for the Falcons at the cost of a Day 3 pick.

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