The Las Vegas Raiders endured a dismal 2024 season, but their rookie tight end Brock Bowers was a consistent bright spot.
Bowers, the 13th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, made history last season, catching 112 passes for 1,194 yards — both league records for a tight end. Bowers’ productivity has not gone unnoticed, as ESPN on Friday ranked him as the NFL’s top tight end.
NFL executives, coaches and scouts weighed in on the TE ranking, which put San Francisco’s George Kittle at No. 2 and Detroit’s Sam LaPorta at No. 3.
“Great person, hard worker, instinctive, great hands, matchup problem due to his speed and athleticism with elite [run after catch] ability,” an NFC executive said about Bowers, per ESPN.
“Sure, the Raiders needed a quarterback in the worst way,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote, “but there’s no way they regret the selection of Bowers, who met expectations, then smashed them.”
Bowers is an extremely versatile player who can be used as an inline tight end or even as a wide receiver in the slot or on the outside. This versatility allows the Raiders to deploy him in various packages, with many plays designed to get him the ball in space.
Because of his elite hands, yards-after-catch ability and route-running expertise, Bowers can dominate most defenders.
The Raiders finished 4-13 last season, but they have much to look forward to in 2025. The team had an aggressive offseason, hiring a new head coach (Pete Carroll), trading for a new starting QB (Geno Smith) and drafting a Heisman Trophy runner-up in the first round (RB Ashton Jeanty).
With this new trio, the Raiders are expected to take a big leap, and their 22-year-old tight end should be at the forefront of this growth.
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