Billy
Bowman.
Billy
Bowman.
Oklahoma· 5'10"· 192 lb· 4.42s 40
"A twitchy, athletic safety with the range and aggression to make plays all over the field, his ultimate NFL ceiling hinges on refining his coverage technique against more diverse receiving threats."Pre-draft read
Bowman is an undersized, ball-magnet safety who plays his best football with the play in front of him. He is a natural free-safety centerfielder who reads the quarterback, breaks on the throw before it arrives and finishes the play; eleven career interceptions, including six in 2023, is a real skill and not just volume.
The size shows up on contact. At 5-10 and 192 pounds with 28.5-inch arms he can be run through by tight ends and pulling guards, and he takes chances on run fits that a bigger safety would not need to take. He is a scheme-specific player: single-high, split zone and nickel blitz, not a box enforcer.
Bowman excels in a modern two-high safety system that leverages versatility, allowing him to play effectively both deep and in the box.
Year 1 impact as a sub-package slot or dime defender with ceiling to develop into a starting two-high safety.
His smaller stature and lighter frame would struggle in a traditional single-high, run-heavy defense requiring consistent box-safety duties against power schemes.
Bowman's athletic profile and coverage skills are best utilized in a scheme that prioritizes speed and versatility over raw power in the secondary.
Billy Bowman Jr. | Oklahoma Career Highlights (2021-2024)
Billy Bowman Jr. | 2023 Season Highlights
4-star Oklahoma commit Billy Bowman - 2020 Highlights
Bowman started 43 games across four years at Oklahoma and left as one of the most productive ball-hawking safeties in the country: 191 tackles, 11 interceptions, 13 pass breakups and five fumble recoveries, headlined by a six-pick season in 2023 that earned him first-team All-Big 12. That production came from anticipation rather than length, which is both the reason he was drafted and the reason he lasted until the fourth round.
The measurables are the concern. He is a shade under 5-10 and 192 pounds with 28.5-inch arms, one of the shortest wingspans among safeties in the class. He ran 4.42 with a 1.52 ten-yard split and a 35.5-inch vertical, so the speed and the burst are real, but he does not have the mass to hold up as a primary run defender and he loses contested catch points to bigger tight ends.
The projection is a rotational free safety and nickel-package defender who plays significant special teams while he learns. The ceiling is a starting single-high safety on a defense that keeps him deep and lets him hunt the football. The floor is a subpackage-only player. There is real starting upside here as long as the scheme protects the frame.
- 01
Ball Production
Bowman has elite ball production with 11 career interceptions, including six as a junior.
- 02
Anticipation
He reads the quarterback and breaks on the throw with genuinely rare anticipation.
- 03
Athletic Range
Bowman's 4.42 speed and 35.5-inch vertical give him the range to play the deep middle alone.
- 04
Experience
A four-year starter, he has 43 starts and high-level Big 12 experience.
- 05
Special Teams
He adds value as a timed nickel blitzer and on all four special-teams units.
- 01
Undersized Frame
He is undersized at 192 pounds with 28.5-inch arms, among the shortest wingspans at the position.
- 02
Run Defense
Bowman gets run through by tight ends and pullers when asked to fill in the box.
- 03
Contested Catches
He loses contested catch points due to length rather than positioning.
- 04
Aggressive Eyes
Aggressive eyes lead to bites on play-action and double moves.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.42sp50
- Vertical
- 35.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 123inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- —s
- Bench
- 17repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Oklahoma | 11 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2022 | Oklahoma | 11 | 56 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| 2023 | Oklahoma | 13 | 60 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| 2024 | Oklahoma | 12 | 55 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Career | — | 47 | 191 | 0 | 11 | 13 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Honors
- First-team All-Big 12 (2023)
Productive but frame-limited safety who starts and makes plays without ever being a fixture.
Instinct-first free safety whose ball production made him a top-tier single-high starter.
Undersized safety whose availability and physical limits keep him a rotational piece.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
The rookie season was cut in half before it could tell us much. Bowman played six games with one start for Atlanta and was productive in that window, 26 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two pass breakups, an interception and a forced fumble, before a torn Achilles put him on injured reserve on November 22.
The profile was visible in the sample. He made plays on the ball, he showed up as a nickel blitzer, and the tackling was willing without being imposing. The Achilles is the story now, because the entire case for a 192-pound safety with 28.5-inch arms rests on range and burst, and that injury attacks exactly those traits. If he comes back at full speed in 2026, the starting free-safety projection is still live. If he loses a step, the frame concerns stop being theoretical.