Brock Bowers is one of the best tight end prospects ever. With the all-time receiving record for the position in sight in just a three-year career, it would be a shame to see him miss any games with an injury. What do we know about the Georgia TE, and how could a significant injury impact his NFL Draft stock?
Brock Bowers Injury Update
In the second quarter of a 14-7 game against the Vanderbilt Commodores, Bowers walked off the field under his own power but with an apparent injury to his left leg. After being evaluated in the medical tent, he was seen being helped back to the locker room.
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Bowers took an end around down to the right sideline, where he was hit low on a tackle attempt. After trying to walk it off, he dropped to the ground and punched the turf. Bowers got banged up a week ago and missed a few series. But it was clear that this potential injury was more significant, even if it was not serious.
Update (1:36 p.m. ET): Head coach Kirby Smart told Tiffany Blackmon that Bowers injured his ankle and is currently getting an X-ray.
Update (10/16): The Athletic’s Seth Emerson posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Georgia confirmed Bowers will have a stabilizing surgery on his ankle. That likely means he’ll have tightrope surgery, a procedure that is very common for ankle injuries. ESPN College Football Senior Writer Pete Thamel said he is expected to miss four-to-six weeks.
Will This Hurt His NFL Draft Stock?
Unless Bowers suffered a season-ending injury and cannot test at the NFL Combine, even missing significant time should not change the way the NFL looks at college football’s best tight end.
In a world where tight ends almost universally should not be first-round selections due to a long history of slow starts in the NFL, we always see exceptions to the rules.
Tight ends are a position that needs an OC to actually work to get them the ball. Teams like the 49ers, Falcons, or Dolphins wouldn’t utilize his skill set adequately. Teams like the Chiefs, Ravens, and Chargers would be better schematic fits.
It’s a wide receiver league, and if this world were fair, we’d eliminate any sort of title to Bowers and simply make him the X receiver. In a mismatch league, he is one of the most significant chess pieces we’ve seen in recent history. He should not make it out of the top 15 picks, even with the potentiality of a TE discount.