After selecting Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft, the Las Vegas Raiders targeted the position again early in the 2024 NFL draft, taking Georgia’s Bowers in the first round.
Bowers, coming off an impressive career with the Bulldogs that saw him win two national championships and two John Mackey Awards while earning All-SEC honors and All-American honors three times, was phenomenal in his first year with the Raiders.
In 17 games, Bowers played 85% of Las Vegas’ offensive snaps and caught 112 receptions (NFL rookie record) for 1,194 yards (NFL rookie tight end record) and five touchdowns. That performance earned him Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors.
After a remarkable rookie campaign, Bowers is being considered one of the best young players in the sport, cracking Pro Football Focus’ list of the 25 best NFL players under 25 years old. While the recognition after just one season is amazing in itself, Bowers’ ranking at No. 14 may still be a bit bit too low.
The 22-year-old is the highest-ranked tight end on the list (with Detroit’s Sam LaPorta coming in at No. 23), but he’s the seventh-ranked offensive player behind offensive tackle Penei Sewell (No. 1), wide receiver Puka Nacua (No. 2), quarterback Jayden Daniels (No. 4), running back Bijan Robinson (No. 9), running back Jahmyr Gibbs (No. 10), wide receiver Drake London (No. 11) and quarterback C.J. Stroud (No. 12).
Stroud had a great rookie season for the Houston Texans in 2023, but he came back down to Earth in 2024. London had his true breakout last year and was pretty good the first two years, but Bowers still had a better 2024.
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The defensive players that ranked ahead of Bowers were safety Kyle Hamilton (No. 3), cornerback Trent McDuffie (No. 5), EDGE Jared Verse (No. 6), EDGE Will Anderson (No. 7), safety Brian Branch (No. 8) and cornerback Derek Stingley (No. 13).
It’s a bit harder to compare players on different sides of the ball, but if you’re strictly talking about first-year players, Bowers’ statistical performance as a rookie cleared Verse’s 66 tackles and 4.5 sacks.
Another strong season for the former Bulldogs tight end should see him crack the top 10 or top five next year.
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