Georgia TE Brock Bowers is out for the foreseeable future with an ankle injury — but should it be the end of his college career before he leaps to the 2024 NFL Draft? Bowers may have a chance to return to action later in the year, but what is the best option for him?
Should Brock Bowers Come Back From Injury in 2023?
Bowers suffered an ankle injury in the first half of the Georgia Bulldogs’ 37-20 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores. That injury was later revealed to be a high ankle sprain, which would require a type of surgery known as “tightrope surgery” for stabilization.
Bowers underwent successful surgery on Monday, October 16. The surgery in question generally has a recovery timeline of 4-7 weeks. Thus, there is a chance that Bowers could return to the field later in the 2023 season if he chooses to do so. The earliest he could return, if his recovery goes well, would be against Tennessee on November 18.
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But regardless, Bowers’ return is very realistic for a conference championship and College Football Playoff bid. For Georgia, that’s great news — the Bulldogs can get their best offensive weapon back in time for their biggest games of the year. But what is the best path for Bowers himself?
Should Bowers — a top 2024 NFL Draft prospect — risk reinjury by returning for a mere 3-4 games before the conclusion of his collegiate career? Or would it be a more prudent option to hang up the pads, sit out the rest of the year, stay healthy, and start preparing for the 2024 NFL Draft process?
Bowers’ 2024 NFL Draft Stock Secure Regardless of What He Does
In terms of team and individual achievements, Bowers has little left to play for.
Bowers is already a two-time national champion, a one-time SEC champion, and a John Mackey Award winner. He’s already one of the most productive collegiate TEs ever, with 2,584 total yards and 29 total touchdowns in 37 games.
Purely cosmetically, there’s little to gain for Bowers by returning to the field in 2023 to close out the year. But by all accounts, Bowers is a “football guy” who lives and breathes the game. He’ll likely be itching to return at the tail end of his rehab to help Georgia work toward a third consecutive National Championship.
In this scenario, the question on every 2024 NFL Draft spectator’s mind is: Will returning to the field be an endeavor that invites too much risk, with too little return, for Bowers?
Yes, Bowers does invite injury risk by returning to the field, but the injury risk he’ll encounter won’t be much more than the standard injury risk that each player experiences every week.
Bowers’ tightrope surgery, which was conducted successfully, was designed to stabilize the ankle in question, support a full recovery, and lower the chances of reinjury.
There’s always a chance for reinjury, of course. But Bowers shouldn’t make his decision with that fear in mind because the chance of reinjury, in this case, is not exorbitant relative to the average.
Additionally, even if Bowers does suffer reinjury, the odds are extremely low that this injury will impact his 2024 NFL Draft stock in any way.
Even in the outcome where a prospective injury prevents him from testing, evaluators already know what kind of athlete Bowers is. This is the TE who ran a 4.5-second 40-yard dash, jumped 40″ in high school, and destroyed defensive tackling angles weekly.
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Bowers’ elite athleticism is already verified by the tape. Any testing will simply be icing on the cake. The main concern, in the case of reinjury, would be long-term durability and the recovery at hand in 2024. But Bowers would have the full 2024 offseason to approach that.
In summation, the decision on whether or not to return to the field if he’s ready is a fairly low-stakes decision for Bowers. He can certainly sit out the rest of the 2024 season, and few would fault him — although some football minds would potentially take issue with him leaving his team to tackle the postseason without him.
Nevertheless, rational minds would understand if Bowers chose to sit out to preserve his health, with a major career transition on the way. But at the same time, if Bowers eventually feels 100 percent and wants to return, nothing is stopping him from doing so.
The choice is ultimately Bowers’, and it depends on the pace of his recovery. But there are fair arguments to make for both decisions.
Within the 2024 NFL Draft lens, Bowers is already a blue-chip prospect and a top-three non-QB in the class. Almost no outcome, at this point, will change that.