With six quarterbacks selected within the first 12 picks of this year’s draft, the board fell for the Raiders to add tight end Brock Bowers at No. 13 overall.
A two-time John Mackey Award winner as the nation’s best tight end, Bowers displayed a dynamic playmaking ability in his collegiate career at Georgia. As Raiders assistant G.M. Champ Kelly noted on Wednesday, that’s a big part of what induced Las Vegas to take Bowers, despite having another up-and-coming player at the position in 2023 second-round pick Michael Mayer.
“He’s a really good football player and was highly productive in college,” Kelly said in a video conference. “His position is tight end, but we saw him as a playmaker and offensive weapon. There is by no means any pressure on him to come in and attain any numbers. Like we need him to come in, learn this system, get acclimated to this city, meet his teammates, learn how to work well with you know Michael Mayer and Harrison Bryant, Cole Fotheringham, Zach Gentry, and get to know those guys and really learn the offense.
“But yeah, he’s a fun piece to have because it’s going to be interesting to see how defenses are going to deploy when he’s on the football field.”
Bowers recorded 175 catches for 2,538 yards with 26 touchdowns in three years at Georgia, also taking 19 carries for 193 yards with five TDs.