Most teams drafting in the top half of the first round take a player with the expectations they will make an instant impact on the team. Or at least that’s the hope. That’s not something the Raiders have gotten out of a high first round pick in the draft in quite some time. Will Brock Bowers be the one who changes that? If so, the Raiders are not going to force the issue.
“There’s by no means pressure on him to come in and attain any numbers,” Raiders assistant GM Champ Kelly said of Bowers. “We need him to come in, learn this system, get acclimated to this city, meet his teammates, learn how to work well with Michael Mayer and Harrison Bryant, Cole Fotheringham, Zach Gentry. Get to know those guys and really learn the offense. But he’s a really fun piece to have because it’s going to be interesting to see how defenses are going to deploy when he’s on the football field.”
Should he not put up big numbers as a rookie, it would be the first time in a very long time that wasn’t the case for Bowers who was a four-star recruit out of High School and a First Team All American every year of his college career.
There’s no question the Raiders have high hopes for Bowers overall. They selected him despite greater needs at other positions because they believe he was the best player on the board regardless of position. They also see him as more than just a tight end.
“My wife could watch the tape on Brock and be excited about him,” said Kelly. “He’s a really good football player. Was highly productive in college. His position is tight end, but we saw him as a playmaker and offensive weapon.”
At Georgia, along with his tight end duties, Bowers lined up in as a slot receiver, in the backfield as an in line blocker, and even took the ball on reverses as a runner. The Raiders are hoping the threat of all the ways they could use him will force defenses to account for him. So, even when he doesn’t get the ball, he could free up others to make plays.