We are in the middle of OTAs, one month removed from the 2023 NFL draft and already looking ahead to the 2024 NFL draft.
Next year’s draft is expected to feature some of the better quarterback prospects in years, with Caleb Williams [USC] and Drake Maye [North Carolina] eligible to enter the draft. Williams and Maye are elite prospects, but Michael Penix Jr. [Washington] and Bo Nix [Oregon] are first-round prospects, too.
Outside of Williams and Maye, who are nearly certain to land among the top-five picks, Penn State offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu is also viewed as a top-five lock.
Unfortunately for the Washington Commanders, oddsmakers, analytics, and other sites aren’t too high on their chances in 2023 with head coach Ron Rivera needing to win and Sam Howell expected to start at quarterback. Early mock drafts for 2024 have Washington picking in the top five, with some even choosing Howell’s former understudy at UNC [Maye] as his replacement.
In a new mock draft from Touchdown Wire, Doug Farrar has the Commanders picking in the top five at No. 5, but he doesn’t go with a quarterback. Instead, Farrar, who is a fan of Howell, gives Washington an elite tight end prospect in Georgia’s Brock Bowers.
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Bowers stepped on the field as a true freshman for the Bulldogs, leading them with 56 receptions for 882 yards and a school-record 13 receiving touchdowns. He was named SEC freshman of the year, first-team All-SEC and second-team All-American.
Bowers followed that season up with 63 receptions for 942 yards and seven receiving touchdowns. He also rushed for three touchdowns. He was named first-team All-American and won the John Mackey Award as college football’s top tight end.
Bowers has two seasons of eligibility remaining and already looks to be a surefire top-10 NFL draft selection.
If Rivera and his staff remain for 2024, Bowers could be Washington’s version of Travis Kelce in Eric Bieniemy’s offense. Bowers is that rare tight end who lands in the top 10.
Of course, the hope for Washington is that the Commanders are picking nowhere close to the top 10.
