When the Las Vegas Raiders selected Georgia tight end Brock Bowers with the 13th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, even the most ardent member of Raider Nation was surprised. It wasn’t that Brock Bowers wasn’t a great prospect — it was just the Raiders had other glaring needs on their offensive line, at cornerback, and even at quarterback.
However, according to a recent report by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, some NFL scouts believe the Raiders selected the best player in the entire draft—even better than the Chicago Bears’ selection of quarterback Caleb Williams and the Cardinals’ selection of all-everything wideout Marvin Harrison, Jr.
Related: Las Vegas Raiders shock NFL Draft, select TE Brock Bowers in first round
“In fact, multiple NFL scouts told me that Bowers might have been the best overall player in the entire field, but positional needs pushed him out of the top 10,” Fowler said, writing about results from the draft for all 32 NFL teams.
Bowers was considered a consensus Top 10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but the record early run on quarterbacks saw him drop out of the top of the draft and into the Raider’s hands. Even though some have criticized the Raiders for taking Bowers despite their other needs, even media members are coming around and praising Las Vegas for grabbing the game-changer.
“Well, the Raiders didn’t land a quarterback,” NFL.com’s Nick Shook said. “That’s what happens when six of the top signal-callers are selected before Las Vegas’ turn on the clock. That was a missed opportunity to me, dropping their grade slightly, but when it comes to consolation prizes, Brock Bowers might be the best possible outcome.”
Shook graded the Las Vegas draft an “A” despite not finding their forever signal caller.
NFL executive on Raiders selection of Brock Bowers: a “luxury pick”
In a recent piece by Mike Sando in The Athletic, an anonymous NFL executive didn’t pull punches when talking about the Bowers pick.
“I think they were stuck once Atlanta took (Michael) Penix and they were like, ‘Oh, crap, we might not get a quarterback to fall to us,’ and they scrambled and took that kid,” the NFL executive told Sando. “He is a good player but a luxury item. I don’t like those kinds of picks unless you have everything else.”
Because Raiders general manager Tom Telesco took the “best player available” approach in the first round, Bowers isn’t a wasted, unneeded, or “luxury pick.” Because Bowers is nothing like a traditional pass-catching tight end, you could argue the Raiders made the right choice, considering their offense was 23rd in scoring last season. Bowers can line up all over the field, making him more of an offensive weapon than a tight end.
“But you get a chance to add just another dimension to the offensive, whether it’s a tight end, hybrid receiver, whatever it is, you need more playmakers on that side of the ball,” Telesco said after drafting Bowers. “So, I think he’s really going to help us there, and I feel like he’s a high-level player in college; a true junior, he’s 21 years old, so he’s very young still, still developing. But he has some natural football skills, combined with some high-level athletic ability and speed, so yeah, I’m really happy to have him.”
Some people’s inability to understand the Las Vegas’ choice of Bowers is somewhat rooted in the team drafting former Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer in the 2023 NFL Draft. Mayer showed great progress last year and is still a major part of the Raiders’ offensive plans.
“And we love Michael Mayer, I love Michael Mayer, and he’s a really good player,” Telesco said after drafting Bowers. “He’s going to take another big jump this year.”
While some people are still critical of the pick, it’s clear NFL scouts understand what a dynamic player the Raiders added to their offense. With an ascending defense and numerous additions on the offensive line, those critics who don’t like the pick may be changing their tune after Bowers’ first season in Las Vegas.