The Las Vegas Raiders added an intriguing weapon to their offense during the 2024 NFL Draft when they took tight end Brock Bowers with the No. 13 overall pick.
Bowers isn’t your typical tight end, as he’s able to line up all over the field. A whopping 52.2% of his college snaps came from the slot. He also lined up in-line 36.6% of the time and outside 9.5% of the time.
That gives the Raiders a multitude of ways to deploy their young tight end, who should make an immediate impact in the offense during his first season.
But exactly how much can we expect him to produce?
ESPN’s Mike Clay is taking a crack at a projection for Bowers’ rookie campaign and he believes the Georgia product will finish with 653 receiving yards in Year 1.
As Clay points out, Bowers will have no shortage of competition for targets. Not only is he in the same tight ends room with a capable pass-catching tight end like Michael Mayer, the Raiders also have an impressive duo atop the wide receiver depth chart in Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers.
Quarterback play will also be a factor. It remains to be seen how successful either Gardner Minshew or Aidan O’Connell will be for Las Vegas, and Bowers will have to develop chemistry with whoever wins the starting job.
Most importantly, there’s no telling how quickly Bowers will be able to acclimate to the NFL.
Knowing Bowers’ talent, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him finish north of Clay’s projection. But there are also many factors that could limit his production to the point he finishes below that, which is more likely.
Clay’s projection is fair and would amount to a successful rookie campaign for Bowers if he hits it. But if he ever wants to live up to the billing of a No. 13 pick, the Raiders will want much more in the years to come.
