The Las Vegas Raiders made one of the more surprising picks in Round 1, selecting Georgia TE Brock Bowers. The Raiders selected Michael Mayer early in Round 2 last year and he showed flashes as a rookie. But now, they’ve added star tight ends in back-to-back drafts.
However, the Raiders are getting a lot of praise for the selection, especially from the draft community. NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. loved the selection of Bowers as the Raiders simply took the best player available:
The Raiders got good value on Brock Bowers at No. 13, and I think he’s more than a tight end. I’ve long called him an “offensive entity.” He can play out wide or inline or as an H-back. Sure, they missed out on the quarterbacks, but Bowers will be a stellar player for Gardner Minshew in 2024.
It will be interesting to see how new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy uses the two tight ends in their offense, but the good news is that Mayer and Bowers play the tight end position differently. Mayer is more of your traditional tight end where as Bowers is the “move” tight end that can play in the backfield and in the slot.
The Raiders didn’t overdraft a player because of need. They stood in there at No. 13 and took the best player available. You can never get too upset with that philosophy.
