After six of the first 12 picks in the NFL Draft were at the quarterback position, the Las Vegas Raiders pivoted away from their biggest roster need under center and selected arguably the best player in the entire draft with TE Brock Bowers at No. 13 overall.
What can dynasty fantasy football managers expect from Bowers early in his career while competing with Michael Mayer for snaps, working alongside Davante Adams, and catching passes from either Gardner Minshew or Aidan O’Connell in 2024?
Should You Draft Brock Bowers in Dynasty Fantasy Football?
The dynasty fantasy football community tends to have very strong opinions on drafting rookie tight ends high in rookie drafts. Is it possible these voices are frustrated Kyle Pitts shareholders looking for support from other fellow frustrated fantasy managers in a similar situation? Yes, that is very possible.
It is also worth mentioning that the value of the tight end position can vary significantly depending on your league format. Dynasty managers who fancy TE premium or 2TE leagues should consider giving Bowers a significant bump in their rankings because of his TE1 overall-type ceiling.
This makes the debate of whether to select Bowers or a talent like Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze at the wide receiver position a heated debate in dynasty circles.
To be fair, the case for going receiver over Bowers is legitimate. Far more wide receivers come into the league and produce better fantasy-relevant numbers than tight ends do.
Last year, Sam LaPorta finished the year as the TE1, which is outstanding by any metric. However, he was outscored by Puka Nacua by 59 points in full-PPR formats.
It becomes a bit more tempting to consider going with a rookie WR even over a great TE prospect like Bowers when you realize that WRs like Jordan Addison, Jayden Reed, Rashee Rice, and Zay Flowers all finished inside the top 30 wide receivers in their rookie season with far more competition than the tight end position, yet all outscored Dalton Kincaid (TE11) by more than 50 points last year.
Yet, Bowers’ production during his days as a Bulldog was so exceptionally above his peers at the position that exceptions could be made for a rare talent like this.
2023: 56 receptions, 717 yards, six TDs
2022: 63 receptions, 942 yards, seven TDs
2021: 56 receptions, 13 TDs
Those numbers rival some of the best receiver prospects in this class, much less doing this for three straight years in the SEC.
His athleticism projects to be among the best at the position in years, and his exceptional ability to create after the catch — evident by his ability to regularly break tackles and churn out extra yards as a ball carrier in the open field — signals he has a fantasy ceiling that most TEs simply can’t touch.
The counterargument is that tight ends can be a bit more system-dependent than some other positions, which brings into the conversation his current competition for targets.
No wide receiver has seen more targets in the NFL since the 2020 season than his aforementioned teammate, Adams. The concerns about Bowers’ fantasy outlook in 2024 specifically are valid, but ultimately a weapon like Bowers with that type of draft capital is hard to imagine sitting on the bench very often.
Many dynasty managers may be nervous about the presence of the Raiders’ second-round pick from the 2022 NFL Draft, Mayer, potentially stealing in-line snaps and targets away from Bowers to significantly hinder his fantasy upside.
Another fact not exactly working in Bowers’ favor is the uncertainty of the quarterback position in Las Vegas, with either O’Connell or Minshew taking the snaps under center in 2024.
These feel like bigger concerns for his redraft value in 2024 than his long-term outlook as a top dynasty asset. Situations change, talent doesn’t. And Bowers possesses an elite set of physical tools that translate to fantasy excellence at the TE position.
Bowers is a still surefire first-round pick in upcoming dynasty drafts. He has an elite ceiling that could give you a positional advantage for the next decade, which makes him a potential wild card for your upcoming rookie draft.
Who Is Bowers?
Background
Bowers is a 6’4”, 243-pound four-star prospect from Napa High School in California. He made a huge impact on his high school football team by spending time at quarterback, tight end, and linebacker.
The COVID-19 pandemic may have cost Bowers his senior season on the gridiron, but he still had a productive prep career, with 1,499 all-purpose yards and 18 total TDs in 2019.
College Production
Bowers burst onto the college landscape with an outstanding true freshman campaign in 2021, tallying 56 receptions for 882 yards and 13 receiving touchdowns while adding another 56 yards and a score on the ground to help Georgia win a national championship.
Bowers was even better in his sophomore season. His 63 receptions for 942 receiving yards and seven scores, coupled with his 109 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground, solidified Bowers as one of the most dominant tight ends in the country as the Bulldogs won a second consecutive national title.
Bowers has received nearly every accolade a college TE is capable of receiving due to his exceptional run of greatness at Georgia.
Injury History
Bowers suffered an ankle injury against Vanderbilt in 2023, costing him some time during his junior season. He played a combined 30 games in his freshman and sophomore seasons during Georgia’s back-to-back title runs.
Bowers’ Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
- Elite yards after the catch creator; powers through tackle attempts from smaller DBs regularly; GOAT level yards after contact producer with power, elusiveness, and competitiveness; physically imposes himself on defenders, which makes him a problem to get to the ground.
- Exceptional body control for a TE who routinely makes contested catches away from a high frame by high-pointing the football at the apex of his jump; elite ball skills.
- Instincts with the ball in his hands feel similar to a running back; forced missed tackle metrics were through the roof during his entire career; play strength through contact is among the best I’ve ever seen at the tight end position entering the NFL.
- Great hands; consistently made tough catches away from his body look routine; and consistently had a low drop percentage throughout his collegiate career.
- An effective route runner who managed to carve out space on all three levels of the field.
- Real formation versatility for his position; can operate inline, in the slot, or outside to help create optimal mismatches.
- Good feel for gearing down and settling into open spaces against zone coverage.
- Top-shelf speed, agility, and acceleration for a player his size.
Weaknesses
- Size and length could create some consistency issues when asked to block edge rushers and defensive ends at the NFL level.
- Can use some refinement at the top of his stem; a couple of reps with some wasted motion with his footwork when getting in and out of breaks.
- Some limitations in his release package could be concerning against physical press corners; some reps where he’ll opt to bully his way through defenders and takes far too long to disengage with defender; would like to see more variety in his releases in these situations.
