Raiders rookie tight end Brock Bowers has been everything Las Vegas could have asked for and then some.
The 6-foot-4, 230 pound rookie tight end out of Georgia is currently second in the NFL in receptions with 57 and leads all tight ends with 580 receiving yards. Bowers has a pair of touchdown grabs, including last week’s 22-yard touchdown reception against the Cincinnati Bengals.
During a season that is currently spiraling, Bowers has been the Raiders’ biggest bright spot.
Bowers was the Raiders’ top selection in the 2024 NFL draft. The Raiders drafted Bowers with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft’s first round.
To see Bowers delivering upon and exceeding expectations is a welcome sight for the future.
As the season crosses its midway point, Bowers’ exceptional play has his name among the frontrunners to perhaps track down NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell featured Bowers among his top three in the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year chase at the season’s midway point.
Is Bowers already the league’s best receiving tight end? He leads all tight ends in receptions (57), receiving yards (580), first downs (28) and yards after the catch (300). He ranks third in yards per route run behind George Kittle and Trey McBride, which isn’t exactly bad company. About the only hole to poke in his production is a modest total of two touchdowns, although I wouldn’t pin that on him; Gardner Minshew badly overthrew an open Bowers for what should have been a touchdown that instead became Pat Surtain’s 100-yard pick-six.
It’s a historic start for a rookie tight end. The only rookies with more receiving yards through their first nine games are Mike Ditka and Kyle Pitts. No tight end has more receptions in his first nine contests. Pro Football Reference has first-down data going back through the mid-1990s, and the only rookie tight end with more first downs to begin his career is Jordan Reed, who had 29. Bowers is doing all of this as a 21-year-old. – Barnwell, ESPN.
Bowers looked like a can’t-miss prospect coming out of Georgia and that proclamation has held true.
Barnwell has Bowers No. 2 on his top three choices to capture the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award on his midseason list.
Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr. was ranked No. 3. Meanwhile, Barnwell has Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels as his top pick to win Offensive Rookie of the Year at the midway point.
