If you believe two teams who select ahead of the Rams in this week's 2011 NFL Draft, reshuffle your 2011 NFL Mock Drafts accordingly—Da'Quan Bowers's knee is fine, according to the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions. The defensive end, one of the best in a stacked first round full of them, has been dogged by rumors about his health during the offseason that suggest he might have a degenerative condition.
If Bowers is healthy he, along with Robert Quinn and possibly Missouri DE Aldon Smith, is likely to end up out of the Rams' reach come draft day. But that still leaves DT Corey Liuget and five to 10 thousand defensive ends available to the Rams in the first round on April 28, should it come to that, if I've read recent mock drafts correctly.
If Bowers isn't healthy—well, he could have a long way to go before somebody's willing to take a chance. Playing on the line isn't a great way to keep knees healthy even when they're, you know, healthy.