Raiders select Georgia TE Brock Bowers with No. 13 pick in 2024 NFL Draft

Continuing the trend of selecting offensive players, Las Vegas snagged a playmaking tight end.

The Raiders selected Georgia TE Brock Bowers No. 13 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The selection of Bowers marked the 13th consecutive offensive player chosen to start the draft.

Vegas used a 2023 second-round pick on Michael Mayer and doubled down on the position in Tom Telesco’s first draft with the franchise as general manager.

Bowers is a dynamic playmaker who will mesh well with Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers and Mayer.

After an impressive college football career demonstrating both potential and resilience, Bowers transitions to the NFL. He distinguished himself as Georgia’s top pass-catcher and arguably the best player in college football. Bowers concluded his tenure in Athens with a strong season, recording 56 catches for 714 yards and six touchdowns, following his win of the John Mackey Award for the nation’s top tight end in 2022. He had achieved a career-high 942 yards and seven touchdowns that year. While these statistics may seem slightly inferior to his prior seasons, they become even more remarkable when considering the challenges Bowers surmounted to even participate in the field.

Bowers experienced an ankle injury which caused him to miss four games and necessitated tightrope surgery for a possible return within the same year. Rather than resigning himself and getting ready for his expected first-round pick, Bowers chose to have the surgery with a single aim: to rejoin the field in pursuit of another national championship.

Despite falling short in the College Football Playoff due to a loss against Alabama in the SEC title game, the Bulldogs still made their mark. Bowers, in particular, managed to overcome significant setbacks to participate in the Bulldogs’ last game before the bowl season. His performance further piqued the interest of scouts who were already excited about his potential in the NFL.

Bowers brings with him an array of skills and awards, earning All-American honors in 2021 (second team), 2022 and 2023. He repeated as a Mackey Award winner in 2023, earned his third straight first-team All-SEC selection and even became a finalist for the Lombardi Award, given to the nation’s top offensive/defensive lineman, despite playing tight end. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein compared him to San Francisco star George Kittle in his draft analysis summary, giving fans an example of just how high expectations are for the Georgia star.

With the likes of Kittle, Travis Kelce and a handful of others creating matchup nightmares for opposing defenses and opening up offenses across the NFL, tight end has never been more coveted. The Raiders underscored that truth by stockpiling their offense with two pass-catchers at the position.

With six quarterbacks coming off the board before the Raiders’ pick at No. 13, Vegas plows forward with veteran Gardner Minshew and second-year signal-caller Aidan O’Connell battling for the starting duties. Whoever wins that battle is in a great position with plenty of surrounding weapons.