The value of Bowers remains up for debate
Star tight end could contribute in other ways for certain teams
Evaluating Brock Bowers the player is a fairly straightforward assignment.
As he showed in three seasons for Georgia, Bowers is a dynamic receiver with the ability to create separation, make contested catches and create big plays after the catch, along with being a more-than-capable blocker.
Bowers is widely considered one of the top 10 players in the NFL draft, but because he plays the lower-premium position of tight end, there is uncertainty about how highly he will get drafted.
While there could be teams in the top 10 willing to make the rare investment in a tight end, there is also the distinct possibility Bowers slips in the first round as teams prioritize high-value positions like quarterback, wide receiver, pass rusher, tackle or cornerback. Bowers is currently favored to be drafted outside the top 10, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
“He is tough. He is easy to grade. I mean, when you watch him, he’s super-easy to grade. He is one of the best 10 players in the draft,” said NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, who compared Bowers to All-Pro George Kittle and praised his tenacity, speed, ability to create separation and run after the catch. The challenge is then figuring out where does he go in the draft, and I think when you look around the league and you see most of these top tight ends that have come on day two or even beyond that, teams are now saying, ‘OK, we can find that other tight end. Maybe we don’t get the top guy, but we can get a really, really good player who might end up being the top guy without having to pay that premium.’”
Of the NFL’s top 15 tight ends in receptions last season, only four were first-round picks, with only Buffalo rookie Dalton Kincaid and Cleveland’s David Njoku doing it for the team that drafted them. Five others were picked on the second day of the draft, with six more going on the final day.
In all, 12 tight ends have been taken in the first round of the past 15 drafts, with only one of those players — Atlanta’s Kyle Pitts — generating even one 1,000-yard receiving season. Njoku is the only one of seven first-round tight ends from 2014-20 to get a second contract with his team. The last draft with a first-round tight end who became a first-team All-Pro was 2003, Dallas Clark of the Indianapolis Colts.
The question is can Bowers be the outlier in a class that has no other tight ends projected to go in the first round of the draft.
In three seasons for Georgia, he caught 175 passes for 2,538 yards in 40 games and scored 31 total touchdowns — five of them coming as a runner as the Bulldogs did whatever they could to get the ball in his hands.
“He’s not a tight end. He’s a multiple option player,” said ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr., who ranked Bowers as the seventhbest player in the draft. “You can put him in the backfield, slot, wing, outside, any which way, fullback, H-back. You can do anything you want with Brock Bowers.”