The Las Vegas Raiders did select rookie tight end Brock Bowers with the 13th overall pick in April, but he will have to earn a starting role in 2024. Bowers has a dynamic skill set as a pass-catcher and can line up as an in-line tight end, outside receiver or inside as a slot receiver. He has good hands, athleticism and speed, and is adept at picking up yards after the catch. The downside is that he's a little undersized at 6-foot-3, 243 pounds and was a questionable blocker in college at Georgia. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy's run-first scheme asks a lot out of TEs in the run game, so Bowers will have to make strides there to stay on the field and hold off last year's second-rounder, Michael Mayer. Mayer isn't as explosive as Bowers, but he made substantial growth as a blocker last year and is a talented receiver in his own right. If they both stay healthy, Bowers has the much higher fantasy ceiling.
Raiders To Feature Two-Tight End Sets With Brock Bowers, Michael Mayer
The Athletic's Vic Tafur writes that it's the Las Vegas Raiders' plan to use more two-tight end sets this year involving rookie first-rounder Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer, who was a second-round selection in 2023. In addition, the Raiders will line up Bowers out wide and behind the quarterback at times to give the defense unique looks. It's not that the Raiders suddenly don't like Mayer now after drafting Bowers in the first round, but they just thought they couldn't pass up on Bowers' explosiveness and even turned down a team trying to trade up for him. While Mayer will still have a role in the offense in his second NFL season, he's going to take a back seat to Bowers in 2024 and will go undrafted in standard 12-team fantasy leagues this fall. Bowers, meanwhile has the potential for a Sam LaPorta-like season in his rookie campaign.
Raiders Could Have Dangerous Combo In Michael Mayer-Brock Bowers
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer, who is heading into his second year in the NFL, is excited to work with rookie tight end Brock Bowers, who the Raiders selected in the first round this year. Bowers fell to the Raiders at No. 13 overall. "He's fast. He's got great hands. He can block. He can do it all. I feel like we can both do it all," Mayer said. Mayer wasn't all that involved in the Raiders' offense in his rookie campaign, catching just 27 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games played. Given Bowers' pedigree, Mayer figures to be the No. 2 TE in 2024, even in 12 personnel, which the Raiders ran just 14.2% of the time last year. Unless Bowers misses time due to an injury in his first year in the league, Mayer is going to have a hard time standing out for fantasy managers.
The Las Vegas Raiders signed first-round rookie tight end Brock Bowers to a fully guaranteed four-year deal on Thursday that is worth $18.1 million. He'll receive $10 million via a signing bonus and the standard fifth-year team option as a first-round pick. The Raiders held off on reaching for a quarterback in the first round in last month's draft and instead took one of the best players in the entire draft in Bowers at 13th overall. The 21-year-old was the highest-selected tight end since Kyle Pitts in 2021 and is athletic enough as a tight end to play pretty much anywhere on the field. Bowers set a school record at Georgia with 26 touchdowns in his time there and is the complete package. Even with Michael Mayer in town, Bowers should take over as the team's top pass-catching TE in his rookie year.
With the No. 13 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Raiders selected Georgia tight end Brock Bowers. There was talk the Jets would bring him to New York. However, the team bolstered their offensive line, so the 21-year-old will now head to Las Vegas. The Raiders are getting arguably the top tight end available, considering he amassed 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns off 175 catches in 40 collegiate games. Bowers also added five touchdowns on the ground. Nonetheless, he'll have a chance to make an immediate impact as a Raider, although concerns at the quarterback position may limit his fantasy upside.
Georgia tight end Brock Bowers is the odds-on favorite to be taken by the New York Jets with the 10th overall pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night, according to ESPN draft experts. If that happens, it would be the first time in 16 seasons that quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been gifted a first-round pick at receiver or tight end. General manager Joe Douglas referred to Bowers as a "Swiss Army knife." The Jets are also interested in offensive tackles -- Notre Dame's Joe Alt, Oregon State's Taliese Fuaga and Washington's Troy Fautanu are thought to be their top preferences -- but they could take a receiver in the unlikely event one of the top three falls to 10th overall. If the Jets do take Bowers, he could have immediate fantasy value in his rookie year as long as Rodgers stays healthy.
Georgia tight end Brock Bowers is visiting with the Los Angeles Chargers on Wednesday. Bowers also has visited with the Chicago Bears and New York Jets this week, so he's making the rounds with interested club's with the NFL draft coming late next week. Even after missing his pro-day workout with a minor hamstring injury, the 21-year-old is projected to be a top-15 pick in this first round next week after dominating as a pass-catching tight end in college with the Bulldogs. Bowers had 2,538 receiving yards and 31 total touchdowns in three seasons, even after missing a big chunk of 2023 due to an ankle injury. It's probably unlikely the Bolts would take Bowers fifth overall, but if he did end up in LA, we could easily see him being fantasy relevant in Year 1 after the team lost pass-catchers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams in the offseason.
Georgia tight end Brock Bowers will be in Florham Park on Monday on an official visit with the New York Jets. The 6-foot-3, 243-pounder would give quarterback Aaron Rodgers yet another intriguing weapon in 2024 if the Jets were to select Bowers in the upcoming NFL draft. Bowers was a three-time first-team All American in his three years with the Bulldogs while leading Georgia in receiving all three years. He's easily regarded as the best tight end in this year's class and could come off the board as early as 10th overall in the first round to the Jets. In his three years at Georgia, Bowers caught 175 passes for 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns. He could be fantasy relevant immediately in his first year in the NFL, but if he lands with the Jets, he'll have a lot of competition for targets.
Jets Could Give Aaron Rodgers Another Weapon In Brock Bowers
The Athletic's Bruce Feldman predicts that the New York Jets will give quarterback Aaron Rodgers another receiving weapon in the upcoming NFL draft by taking Georgia tight end Brock Bowers with the 10th overall pick. Bowers is the best skill player that Georgia has produced since head coach Kirby Smart took over in 2016. He was the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2021 and a first-team All-American. The 21-year-old had 21 touchdowns over three seasons for the Bulldogs, and the 6-foot-3, 243-pounder is a terrific athlete. "What separates him is on the 50-50 balls, he's just such a competitor. He seems to have that 'clutch gene,'" one coach said. The Jets haven't had a fantasy relevant tight end in what feels like ages, but Bowers could change that quickly in 2024 if he goes to the Jets and Rodgers can stay healthy.
The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt thinks that the New York Jets could be tempted to take Georgia tight end Brock Bowers with the No. 10 overall pick in the first round of this year's NFL draft, even if they remain high on Jeremy Ruckert. The Jets would probably only take a chance on Bowers in the first round if they address their offensive-line needs in free agency or through a trade. General manager Joe Douglas could also take a look at free-agent tight ends Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, Gerald Everett, Austin Hooper, Noah Fant, or Mike Gesicki. Bowers, who had 175 catches for 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns in his time in college, could produce immediately for fantasy managers in 2024 in New York or elsewhere.
