Caleb Harris
Georgia tight end Brock Bowers selected by Raiders 13th overall in 2024 NFL Draftand based on what they saw from him in college, Las Vegas is confident of where his talent can take him on his team and in the NFL. The Raiders boosted their offense with a player coach Antonio Pierce considers one of the best at the position coming out of college.
Pierce has liked what he’s seen from Bowers in recent years, calling his career at Georgia “just different.” Tape of him is one of the reasons the coach wanted Bowers in the Raiders’ offense. Pierce was full of praise for the 21-year-old, saying that of all the college tights, Bowers is among the best he’s ever seen, while also listing some of the qualities that make him special.
“I mean, you’re talking about probably the most dynamic player in the world. college football at that tight end position for a long time,” Pierce said (via NBC Sports). “It’s rare that you get a guy like that [who] can line up as a slot receiver, see him in the backfield, reverse, catch the ball. But I think most importantly, [it’s] its hardness. Seeing him block in the SEC, seeing him chase guys, I mean, that’s what impressed me. Just a brave player, most importantly, a winner, and he can help us score points.”
Bowers was the back-to-back winner of the John Mackey Award given annually to the nation’s best tight end. In 2023, he led the team with 56 receptions for 714 yards and 6 touchdowns. His 56 receptions ranked second in the country among tight ends, while his 6 touchdowns ranked him 6th in the country in that category.
Las Vegas has another young tight end on its roster in Michael Mayer, who was a second-round pick in 2023. Last season, in 14 games, Mayer had 27 receptions for 304 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The Raiders don’t yet know who their quarterback will be, as Aidan O’Connell or Gardner Minshew will face off in training camp, but whoever gets the job will have two tight ends as options. Pierce believes he has two of the best and wants to make them a problem for opposing defenses by putting them on the field together.
“You look at the National Football League, it’s tough,” Pierce said. “I mean, being a former player facing 12 players, the matchups, the lineups you get into, what you do defensively, I think it becomes an issue as well. list, which in the last four years of college football they were practically the two best, and I hope that creates problems. This will create problems for us in training, we will see about that. In our class, we have some really good tight ends, so it will be good reps for us as well.”
Last season, the Raiders were 24th in receptions (348) and 23rd in receiving yards (3,666). Wide receiver DaVante Adams, who will be another weapon for whoever is QB1, led the team last year in receptions (175) and receiving yards (1,144). He also led all rushers and receivers in average yards per game (67.3).
