After how free agency has played out for the New York Jets, they have positioned themselves to utilize the 10th overall pick on tight end Brock Bowers from Georgia if he’s available.
In fact, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN, the Jets are currently the betting favorites at ESPN Bet to select Bowers in the first round.
Before free agency began, taking Bowers at 10th overall probably wasn’t in the cards for the Jets. They had three starting spots along the offensive line to fill and needed to find another dynamic presence at receiver to take at least some attention off of Garrett Wilson.
Now, roughly a week into free agency, GM Joe Douglas has checked both those boxes. By signing Tyron Smith and John Simpson while trading for Morgan Moses, he rebuilt the offensive line. The Jets’ latest addition of wide receiver Mike Williams provides Wilson with a legitimate running mate.
No longer is taking an offensive tackle at pick 10 a must. Nor is taking a receiver. Instead, Douglas can let the board come to him and take the best player available, which very well could be Bowers.
Immediately, Bowers’ biggest impact is going to come in the passing game, where he would provide another playmaking option for Aaron Rodgers. However, Bowers does have the ability to impact the game a variety of ways, whether that be as a pass-catcher, a blocker, or by being moved around the formation.
In three seasons with Georgia, Bowers was very efficient, catching 78 percent of his 224 targets at 14.5 yards per catch. He was excellent at picking up yards after the catch and scored 26 touchdowns during that span.
Bowers’ combination of size, speed, and his ability as a route runner are going to provide him with his own playmaking opportunities in the passing game. However, when an offense has a tight end that can leave his mark on both the running and passing games, that element helps create opportunities for others within the offense as well.
Bowers’ versatility to move around the formation can allow the Jets to run a variety of plays from just a few different formations, resulting in mismatches for both Bowers and his teammates to exploit. He also provides another dynamic presence in the offense that defenses have to be mindful of, resulting in them defending the entire field and not solely being focused on Wilson.
As a capable blocker, pre-snap, it will be more difficult for defenses to decipher what Bowers’ responsibilities are or even if a run or a pass play is coming–keeping the defense guessing and giving the offense the advantage.
There are certainly a lot of benefits to adding a tight end of Bowers’ caliber to the Jets’ offense.
But, having said all of that, just because the Jets signed Williams and have constructed a capable starting five along the offensive line, doesn’t mean Douglas should be done addressing either of those position groups either.
Williams is only signed to a one-year deal and is currently just six months removed from an ACL injury that limited him to only three games in 2023. Williams has also dealt with other injuries in recent years as well.
Smith has missed 37 games over the last four seasons and is in New York on a one-year deal as well, as is the right tackle Moses–not to mention that both players are 33 years old. Simpson signed a two-year deal, but the Jets can get out of it after this season and still reap some salary cap savings.
So there is a possibility that if we fast forward to the 2025 offseason, the Jets again could be in search of one or two starting tackles, potentially a guard, and need to find another playmaker to pair with Wilson.
This is why taking an offensive tackle or a receiver at pick 10 is still very much in play. And if the Jets go a different route and take Bowers, for example, they only have one more pick at 72nd overall that is within the top 100.
This isn’t to say that they couldn’t address receiver or tackle in the fourth round, where they have two selections, but at that point, teams shouldn’t be banking on finding immediate help either.
With how Douglas has filled out the roster in free agency, he has given himself options in the draft–something that every general manager wants. That means having the flexibility to take Bowers at pick 10, but by no means should the work be done at receiver or tackle, especially with how loaded the draft is at both of those position groups.