nfl draft 2024
Published
April 13, 2024, 9:49 a.m. ET
The NFL, like many sports, is a copycat league.
And in the case of the tight end position, every team in the league is trying to find the next Travis Kelce … or even George Kittle.
Tight end has become the game-changing position in the league.
Now, the question is this: Is Brock Bowers that next game-changing tight end poised to light it up in the NFL?
The numbers Bowers put up at Georgia and the success the Bulldogs had with him on the field are indicators that he has a chance to be at least as good as Kelce and Kittle.
Georgia tight end Brock Bowers could develop into an NFL tight end that’s as good as Travis Kelce or George Kittle. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
Bowers, by far the best tight end prospect available in the upcoming draft, ended his collegiate career as the SEC’s all-time leader for tight ends in catches (175), receiving yards (2,538) and receiving touchdowns (26).
All of those numbers were also the most at the position across the entire country from 2021-23.
And, they came while Georgia was winning 42 of 44 games during his collegiate career, capturing College Football Playoff national championships in his freshman and sophomore seasons.
Bowers, too, is the first college player with 25 or more receiving touchdowns and five or more rushing touchdowns in a career since Tavon Austin did it at West Virginia from 2009-12.
“He could be the best player in the draft, 100 percent,’’ Anthony Becht, a former Jets tight end and current head coach of the St. Louis Battlehawks of the United Football League, told The Post this week. “He’s an elite route runner and pass catcher. He’s a game-changer with the ball in his hands after the catch.’’
Becht’s primary message to whichever team drafts Bowers — possibly his former team, which has been linked to him and are in need of big-play offensive talent to pair with Aaron Rodgers — is to utilize him early and often.
Georgia tight end Brock Bowers (19) makes a catch for a touchdown during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Mississippi. AP
“If you’re going to go get Brock Bowers, you better get him the football, and you better make sure that he’s implemented in your offense, because you’ve got to get the necessary value out of him when you bring a guy in that high,’’ Becht said. “He could be a game-changer. The biggest thing is you’ve got to get these guys the ball. When you get a guy in the first round, you’ve got to force-feed these guys. You’ve got to get them the football early, so they can make a difference in your offense.
“If Brock Bowers is selected at No. 10 [by the Jets] and you get him the football and you make him an integral piece of the offense, he’s going to be worth every penny.’’
Mel Kiper Jr., the ESPN draft analyst, echoed Becht’s assessment of Bowers’ potential.
“He could be in line to be Rookie of the Year in the NFL if he goes to the right team and the right quarterback,” Kiper said.
In the case of the Jets, they’re clearly in a win-now mode, with the 40-year-old Rodgers’ shelf life likely not more than a year or two.
It’s likely top receivers Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze will be off the board when the 10th pick arrives. This makes Bowers a real option for them — unless they want to continue to bolster their offensive line with the best available tackle.
Bowers recognizes the impact and attention Kelce, Kittle et al are getting in the league.
Brock Bowers #19 of the Georgia Bulldogs shakes the tackle of Kamron Smith #47 of the Charleston Southern Buccaneers to score a touchdown during the first half at Sanford Stadium on Nov. 20, 2021. Getty Images
“Tight end is a prime position right now to be in,” he told reporters at the scouting combine. “I’m just glad it’s now.”
He caught 56 passes for 714 yards and six touchdowns in just 10 games last season and played his best in the biggest games.
“I feel like ever since I was younger, I just always wanted to be, at least try to be, the best,” Bowers said at the combine. “I feel like that’s what really pushed me. I try to outwork the person next to me.’’
He said he grew up viewing former Patriots star tight end Rob Gronkowski as “a huge role model’’ and added, “I also love watching Kittle and Kelce.”
Bowers, at just under 6-foot-4 and about 235 pounds, isn’t as big as Kelce (6-5, 250) or Kittle (6-4, 250).
He still believes, with his 4.5 speed in the 40, he can put up the kind of numbers those guys have as a matchup problem.
Bowers looks NFL-ready based on the pro-like program in which he’s excelled.
Brock Bowers of the Georgia Bulldogs rushes with the ball during the second
half against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Sanford Stadium on
Sept. 16, 2023. Getty Images
“We were going up against first-round dudes on defense every single day in practice, and that kind of development, going up against that kind of competition every day, really improved my game and helped me out,” Bowers said of college.
“He isn’t going to be a guy that’s going to come into the NFL and drop balls and be unsuccessful,’’ Becht said. “He’s past that. He’s played in front of 100,000 every single week on the biggest games on TV. He is a performer. That’s what he does.’’
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2024-04-13 13:49:00
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