Brock Bowers is having a historic rookie campaign. He is on pace to break the record for most catches by a tight end in a season. We are not talking about catches for a rookie. That record was 86, broken last season by Detroit’s Sam LaPorta. Bowers is on pace to break the record for any tight end in any season. Zach Ertz, playing for the Philadelphia Eagles at the time, holds the record with 116. Bowers is currently on pace for 119.
There’s more. The record for most catches by a rookie wide receiver is 105. Puca Nacua of the Los Angeles Rams broke that record last season. Bowers already has 70 catches with seven games to go. The two-time Mackey Award winner is doing this with one of the worst quarterback situations in the NFL. Can you imagine if he were playing with Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes?
Raiders Let the Draft Come to Them
The Las Vegas Raiders needed a quarterback entering the 2024 draft. After finishing 2023 with an 8-9 record, they found themselves picking 13th overall in the first round. The good news is that 2024 was loaded at quarterback. Six were projected to go in the top 15. The bad news is that all six were gone when the Raiders were on the clock. Luckily for the Raiders, the other six teams that didn’t take a QB passed on Bowers.
The first round of the 2024 draft wasn’t just strong at quarterback. Three wide receivers were also projected to go very high. Marvin Harrison Jr (Cardinals), Malik Nabers (Giants), and Rome Udunze (Bears) were drafted 4th, 6th and 9th. The Cardinals and Bears needed wide receiver help and already have established tight ends. The Giants needed everything on offense including both tight end and wide receiver. If you watched Hard Knocks Offseason with the Giants, you can see how much they liked Nabers. It was hardly a surprise.
Offensive Tackles Go Early
Nine of the first twelve draft picks in the first round were quarterbacks and wide receivers. Those selections made a ton of sense and filled needs. Let’s look at the other three. The Los Angeles Chargers had the fifth pick and selected offensive tackle Joe Alt out of Notre Dame. The Chargers could have used tight end help, but the offense struggled for them last season. They couldn’t protect quarterback Justin Herbert, and Herbert has had trouble staying healthy. Alt has solidified the right tackle position, and the offensive line has gone from a weakness to a strength for the Chargers.
The Tennessee Titans had the 7th overall pick. Just like the Chargers, the Titans needed both tight end and offensive line help. The rumor was that the Titans were targeting Alt with that pick. With Alt off the board, the Titans could have taken Bowers, the best player available. Instead, the Titans reached for offensive tackle JC Latham from Alabama. He was not expected to go in the top 10 and was projected to go in the 11-20 range by most analysts. Latham has been solid so far this season but has not had the impact for his team that Bowers has had. The Titans clearly valued the offensive line position over tight end.
Jets Pass on Tight End
The New York Jets were all in this season with Aaron Rodgers as their quarterback. It has not gone they way they wanted. Coming into the draft, the rumor was the Jets wanted one of the top three wide receivers mentioned earlier. All three were gone when the Jets were on the clock at pick 10. The Vikings moved up one spot to the Jets spot to make sure they landed their quarterback JJ McCarthy out of Michigan. The Jets added a few day-three picks and now had the 11th pick.
Bowers was the obvious choice for the Jets. Rodgers needed more weapons, and the Jets did not have a tight end who could stretch the field. The Jets also needed some offensive line depth. In the offseason, they acquired Morgan Moses and Tyron Smith to be their offensive tackles. However, both are over 30 and have had injury issues in the past. The Jets wanted depth behind those players and selected offensive tackle Olu Fashanu from Penn St.
The pick of Fashanu made sense if Bowers had not been available. Fashanu was susceptible to the bull rush in college and needed to get stronger. But he was regarded as the best pass-blocking tackle in the draft. Because of injuries, Fashanu has started three games. Let’s just say, he has looked like a rookie in those games. If the Jets had drafted Bowers, would they be a better team? I think so, but he would not have fixed the annual mess that is the New York Jets.
Final Thoughts
Just about everyone projected Bowers to go in the top ten in the draft. There were even rumors that the Colts and Rams tried to move into the top 10 to select him. His floor was supposed to be the Jets at pick ten. Although the Raiders are having a rough season, their fans have to be happy with the selection. The Raiders now have a building block on the offensive side of the ball.
Bowers is having the best rookie season for a tight end in NFL history. He is a generational talent who goes in the top 10 in most drafts. If the Chargers had selected him with the 5th pick, no one would have been shocked. He is just that good. The Titans and Jets may regret passing on Bowers. Even though he is still a rookie, he may be the best tight end in the NFL.
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