The 2024 NFL Draft is already full of major surprises. The Las Vegas Raiders were consistently linked to quarterbacks, offensive linemen and cornerbacks heading into the draft.
They didn’t end up drafting any of those positions with their first-round pick. The Raiders ended up selecting Georgia tight end Brock Bowers. While it wasn’t a position of need, Bowers was the best player left on the board. One player who seems happy with the pick is defensive end Maxx Crosby, who sent a message to his new teammate in an April 25 X post.
Crosby may have liked the idea of getting some more reinforcement on defense but it’s hard to argue with the rationale behind taking Bowers. He wasn’t expected to be available when the Raiders picked at No. 13 but there was a run of six quarterbacks and three wide receivers getting selected.
Bowers was worth a top-10 pick but teams had big needs at other positions. The Raiders have been a team that has reached for need in the past and it hasn’t worked out. This time, they decided to take the best player available and it’ll be interesting to see how it works out.
Draft Profile on Brock Bowers
Brock Bowers is the only player in college football history to win the John Mackey Award in back-to-back years. He’s one of the best tight end prospects to ever enter the NFL. The position isn’t valued as highly as some others, which is why he was able to fall to Las Vegas.
According to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, Bowers has significant potential at the NFL level.
“Bowers’ secret sauce might be his ability to rip through tacklers and pile on yardage after the catch,” Zierlein wrote in Bowers’ draft profile. “He’ll be an adequate move blocker and give effort at the point of attack, but that is the one area where his game falls short of George Kittle’s, for comparison purposes. Bowers is an explosive athlete but lacks the premium measurables typically associated with early first-rounders. It might take a year for him to acclimate to defenders who are bigger, faster and longer, but he appears destined to become a highly productive NFL player with Pro Bowl upside.”
If Mayer ends up being the next Travis Kelce, it doesn’t matter that the Raiders didn’t need a tight end. Sometimes it’s better to just take the best players available regardless of needs.
What About Michael Mayer?
The biggest reason the Brock Bowers selection was such a surprise is due to the fact that the Raiders used a second-round pick on Michael Mayer last season, who finished in second place to Bowers for the John Mackey Award in 2022. Mayer showed some really good flashes in 2023 but did have some injury issues.
The fact that the Raiders drafted Bowers shouldn’t signal that they don’t think Mayer is any good. The team can now run as many two tight end sets as they want. If Mayer and Bowers both live up to their draft statuses, the Raiders might have the best tight end duo in the NFL. Though the team still has question marks at quarterback, having elite weapons will certainly help the offense.
