As college football fans anticipate the arrival of EA Sports’ college football video game reboot, Pro Football Focus (PFF) recently listed the five active players that would deserve a 99 overall rating.
Georgia football tight end Brock Bowers is named in the list that also features USC quarterback Caleb Williams, Michigan running back Blake Corum, Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt.
“Bowers has been a superstar since stepping onto Georgia’s campus.
As a true freshman in 2021, he was the highest-graded Power Five tight end and the most valuable player at the position in college football, according to PFF’s wins above average metric. He was once again the most valuable tight end in the nation this past season and led the position in receiving yards (942), yards after the catch (479) and receiving yards after contact (274). Bowers’ 73.8 run-blocking grade in 2022 also ranked seventh among Power Five tight ends.
What makes Bowers truly special is his ability after the catch. Since 2021, his 1,001 yards after the catch are 328 more than the next-closest tight end, Michael Mayer. His 440 receiving yards after contact in that span also lead the position while his 26 forced missed tackles are second.
He’s on track to go down as one of the best tight ends in the PFF College era and could challenge Kyle Pitts as the best tight end prospect since we began charting college football in 2014.”
Bowers led the Bulldogs in receiving as a true freshman, earning first-team All-American honors in 2021 and surpassed high expectations as a sophomore by securing Georgia’s first Mackey Award in program history last season.
Former Bulldogs offensive coordinator described Bowers’ playmaking ability in the lead up to Georgia’s win over Ohio State in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl.
“Well, we’ve had this conversation since I’ve been here about Brock, and what kind of worker he is, attention to detail, mental toughness that he has,” Monken said. “And he’s really developed in a lot of areas. And it’s a credit to him. It’s a credit to his upbringing, his family. And like I said, there’s a lot of things you can do with him. He’s outstanding with the ball in his hands. He’s got an elite catch radius, ability to compete to go get the football. And so, again, he’s meant a lot to us in terms of this year in terms of having an AD [Adonai Mitchell] out and his ability to make plays.”
While Bowers returns for his junior season, the Dawgs will look differently at tight end after Darnell Washington’s departure to the NFL (Pittsburgh Steelers) and two other transfers within the position.
Former four-star Oscar Delp will be a sophomore and true freshmen Pearce Spurlin and Lawson Luckie join as two of the top-five tight end prospects in the 2023 recruiting class.
