THIS 'DAWG HAS BITE
Jets must decide if Georgia tight end Bowers is worthy for possible top-10 pick
INDIANAPOLIS — Brock Bowers would be happy to be catching passes from Aaron Rodgers next season.
“It would be pretty sweet,” the Georgia tight end said Thursday at the NFL Scouting Combine. “He’s one of the best of all time to do it at quarterback. It would be cool to learn under him and just play with him and hopefully learn some stuff.”
Could the Jets take Bowers at No. 10 overall?
That is one of the intriguing questions about the Jets and the draft. Everyone expects them to select an offensive tackle with their first pick, but there is a chance the top three tackles could be off the board before the Jets are on the clock.
If that happens, it might make sense to take Bowers to provide Rodgers and the offense with another weapon. Fans who still have scars from Kyle Brady going in the first round 29 years ago might be unhappy, but the Jets can’t worry about ghosts.
What may give the team pause is the thought that you can find tight ends who can have an impact on Day 2 of the draft. Sam LaPorta, who went in the second round last year to the Lions, is the latest example.
In terms of a prospect, there are not many cleaner than Bowers. He is the consensus top tight end and almost certainly will be the first one drafted.
“I feel like I can do it all and be a mismatch for a defense,” Bowers said Thursday.
Bowers is the latest in the new wave of tight ends who can be a prolific pass catcher. He caught 26 touchdowns for the Bulldogs and was a major factor in their success over the past three years, which included two national championships.
“Prolific passcatching tight end with a rare blend of acceleration, speed, body control and hands that could breathe new life into a stale NFL offense,” is the scouting report from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein. “Bowers was a high-volume target at Georgia and led the team in receiving yards in all three of his college seasons. He plays with relentless pacing as a route runner, allowing him to beat man coverage. Also, he’s highly effective at exploiting zone pockets for first downs and chunk plays. Bowers’ secret sauce might be his ability to rip through tacklers and pile on yardage after the catch.” The biggest question about Bowers may be his blocking ability. Bowers said he is confident in his blocking but acknowledged he needs to work on reacting to a defender’s first move.
“I put some good things on film blocking-wise, too,” Bowers said. “They can obviously help me a lot with technique. We’ll just see how it translates to the next level.”
At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, there are also questions about his size, but Bowers’ explosiveness may quiet those fears.
“I feel like I more or less out-physical certain DBs and also outrun big, physical linebackers,” Bowers said.
The argument for the Jets to take him is their need for playmakers. The belief is they will add a wide receiver in free agency to complement Garrett Wilson and join Breece Hall as another weapon for Rodgers. Tyler Conklin had a good season last year and will be back — as will Jeremy Ruckert, who is more of a blocking tight end. Adding Bowers could give the offense a boost.
“I feel like I bring a lot to an offense, like just being able to be a do-it-all kind of guy,” Bowers said. “That’s how I hope to be used, like I was at Georgia.”