The Bengals will be hosting Defensive End Ernest Owusu for a visit, according to Damond Talbot of MockingTheDraft.com.
Owusu has played in 42 games in his 4-year career with the California Bears. He has shown flashes of being a playmaker at times, but is not an established prospect. In his first two years at Cal, Owusu fought his way off the bench with 12 tackles, 4 tackles-for-loss, and 2 sacks. In his junior year, he started 9 games and posted 14 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss, and 1.5 sacks. As a senior, he doubled his production and had his best year by far, with 30 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks.
These numbers don't jump off the board, which is why Owusu is not considered to be an early draft pick.
However, Owusu's stock is skyrocketing due to the incredible athleticism that he displayed at California's pro day:
(03/15/12) Cal Pro Day: Persistent rain showers limited the Cal Pro Day but that didn't stop a few underrated prospects from demonstrating legitimate NFL athleticism. Defensive end Ernest Owusu created a significant buzz early in the workout by posting 39 repetitions of 225 pounds in Cal'srenovated weight-room. Later, he demonstrated impressive straight-line speed for his 6-4, 277 pound frame, registering times in the 4.7s, according to a source onthe scene. As a point of comparison, Owusu, who was not invited to the Combine, ran nearly as well and lifted more than any defensive end in Indianapolis this year. Frankly, I was surprised Owusu wasn't invited to the Combine. He registered 30 tackles, including seven loss and 4.5 sacks despite playing in a 3-4 defense. Owusu had stood outon tape earlier in the year, in my opinion. - Rob Rang, NFLDraftScout.com
Owusu's strength and speed will ensure that plenty of NFL teams will take a peek at this underrated defensive end, who fits the mold as the classic late round prospect with average production and elite athleticism.