Ho. Ly. Crap. If you had given me 13 shots at guessing who the Las Vegas Raiders would select at No. 13, I can assure you that Georgia tight end Brock Bowers would not have been on the list. One year after selecting tight end Michael Mayer in the second round out of Notre Dame, the Raiders went back to the well with an absolute stunner.
And? It’s hard to hate it.
If the Raiders have developed a reputation, it’s for reaching for guys that didn’t belong where they were picked — so to see them snatch up the guy who fell into their lap was a first. Dane Brugler of The Athletic had Bowers as his No. 7 prospect in the draft, Danny Kelly of The Ringer had him as No. 3, Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com had him at No. 7, as did Todd McShay (formerly of ESPN). No matter where you look, the Raiders got incredible value, even if it wasn’t a position of extreme need.
And realistically, that’s the only nitpick: with glaring needs at offensive tackle and cornerback, the Raiders could have snagged a high-level prospect at either spot — but if the name of the game is risk-mitigation and thinking long-term, it’s hard to be too disappointed. In Bowers, the Raiders are getting a guy who led Georgia in receiving in each of the last three years — twice winning the John Mackey Award given to the nation’s best tight end.
From a size perspective, Bowers isn’t overwhelming — 6’3″ and 243 pounds — but this kid ran a 4.5 40-yard dash in high school. As a result, he racked up an average of 8.5 yards after the catch in college, a number that will be the key to generating the necessary value for his draft slot. If Bowers can replicate that production at the pro level, his classification will shift from “tight end” to “offensive weapon” — and his future earnings will benefit because of it.
Regarding how this pick fits in Vegas, I think the attention shifts to new Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy and whether he can find a way to maximize two weapons at tight end on the field simultaneously. Heck, if they’re struggling to block guys off the right side, now they’ve got two threats at tight end, and they can stack on that side to both confuse the defense and offer some help.
Lastly, what does this mean for general manager Tom Telesco and head coach Antonio Pierce for the rest of the weekend? Honestly, not much. There’s still a massive need at both cornerback and tackle — and if they don’t try to get back into the first round to fill one of those needs (I would at least explore it, especially if corners drop), then that should be the top priority alongside an interior lineman.
Bottom line: This was a triple for the Raiders—not quite the perfect marriage between need and value, but you can’t get less than an “A” when you walk away with one of the 5-7 best players in the draft despite picking 13th.
