Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders, Round 1, Pick 13
Brock Bowers was drafted by the Raiders with the 13th pick of Round 1, according to Jordan Schultz.
Fantasy Football Impact for Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
Bowers has long been assumed to be the top tight end in this 2024 draft class, and he comes off the board first to cement that idea. The Raiders got a great player, as he will step in immediately to play a strong role in the passing game. Despite the fact that he didn't test at the NFL Combine or his pro day, Bowers offers a ton of positives. As a true freshman in 2021, Bowers was the most valuable tight end in the nation according to PFF’s wins above-average metric.
Bowers is a bit undersized at around 235 pounds, but he makes up for it with explosiveness. He has terrific short-area burst and his long speed is tremendous as well. He's a threat to take a ball to the house every single time he touches the ball, and his soft hands make red zone plays easy for his quarterback.
You're not going to see him blocking a ton due to his smaller figure, at least to start, so that might hamper his ability to get on the field a bit, and he only has average strength as a run blocker when asked. However, the Raiders might just elect to use him as a wide receiver, either in the slot or on the outside. Bowers ran some of his routes at Georgia in spots other than as a tight end, so he can definitely move around the formation a bit.
Bowers was extremely consistent throughout his Georgia career, with at least 700 receiving yards in all three seasons. He scored 31 touchdowns and even showed that he can accelerate in space, with some jet sweeps and end-arounds that he converted. Among Power Five tight ends since 2014, Bowers had a 94.1 receiving grade, which easily is the highest in college football, surpassing Kyle Pitts' 92.9. He also had 689 receiving yards after contact, which was a whole 223 yards more than Sam LaPorta.
All in all, I expect Bowers to flourish in a culture like the Raiders have. New HC Antonio Pierce will get everything he can out of this team and while Bowers could start somewhat slowly due to learning the NFL game paired alongside Mayer, I expect his talent to show itself soon enough.
The Fantasy Football Fallout
The Raiders are a very interesting landing spot for the former Georgia tight end, as they already have second-year TE Michael Mayer on the squad. I'm not overly worried about Bowers fitting in in that sense, though, as this situation reminds me of the Buffalo Bills, with Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox lining up. Knox does a lot of blocking, as Mayer did last year, and Kincaid filled more of a pass-catcher role, which I expect Bowers to slide into efficiently.
The Raiders hired former Bears OC Luke Getsy as their new offensive coordinator, and that should help Bowers, as Getsy moved Cole Kmet all around the formation last year. I expect Bowers to be used similarly in that regard.
Mayer should be featured more in the Raiders' offense in his second year, which could definitely hamper Bowers reaching his ceiling immediately, but talent usually supersedes situation, and I truly believe that Bowers is a top-five talent in this draft class across all players.
Whichever quarterback ends up leading the Raiders this season, be it Gardner Minshew or Aidan O'Connell, will benefit heavily from the Bowers pick. Bowers can immediately be a short-area target for either quarterback (both preferred shorter aDOT throws last season), and he'll help open up the offense for Davante Adams to torch defenses downfield.
Speaking of Adams, this really should help him out as well. Last year, Jakobi Meyers was the only other pass-catcher that opposing defenses had to worry about, but now the Raiders add Bowers to that mix as well as Mayer's second season. Adams should have a lot of freedom and fewer double teams as a result of this draft pick.
Stock Watch
Risers
- Gardner Minshew (assuming he starts)
- Davante Adams
Fallers
Overview
Bowers is an extremely talented tight end, one that I could definitely see becoming an every-down player eventually and being a top-five fantasy option at the tight end position. The Raiders are far from done when filling out their roster of the future, with a long-term quarterback still a need, but Bowers fits nicely as a puzzle piece in this situation.
I expect him to have a solid first season in the NFL, one that may look similar statistically to his final year at Georgia, where he had 715 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
For more information on the 2024 NFL Draft, check out the Footballguys Rookie Draft Guide, where you can read about Brock Bowers' landing spot and other rookie team fits.