Silver And Black Pride
Despite questions at quarterback, tight end keeps producing
For the best player available (BPA) truthers out there, Las Vegas Raiders rookie tight end Brock Bowers is the latest paragon of why going that route is best in the NFL Draft.
The Silver & Black did not need another tight end, considering it drafted Michael Mayer out of Notre Dame with the 35th overall pick in the 2023 draft. But picking No. 13 overall in the 2024 rendition of the event and with teams selecting quarterback prospects — a major need for Las Vegas — leaving the team out in the cold in that regard, general manager Tom Telesco simply couldn’t pass up on adding the best player available on the Raiders’ board.
And thus, Bowers.
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Georgia product arrived to the NFL scene like gang busters. Heading into this weekend’s Week 12 action, Bowers is second in the league with 70 catches, sixth overall with 89 targets, and 10th in yards with 706 proving what many draft pundits said: The tight end is one of the most pro-ready prospects coming into the league.
Coming off a 13-catch, 126-yard, and one-touchdown effort in the team’s 34-19 Week 11 loss to the Miami Dolphins, Bowers continues his record-setting pace. And Las Vegas would be wise to keep funneling the offense through it’s ultra-talented and phenomenal rookie as the Raiders (2-8 overall) play host to the Denver Broncos (6-5) this Sunday inside Allegiant Stadium.
“It means we picked the right guy in the draft. That’s one. I wish those records were also part of our team record, which is more important, wins and losses,” Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce began when asked about Bowers’ performance thus far. “But again, tremendous talent. I mean, we’re asking him to do a lot, throwing him in there. I mean, two-minute drill, he’s looking to come out. We’re keeping him in there. I mean, he’s fighting his tail off. We have a lot of players that’s doing that. But obviously his numbers are now on a very good historic rate, and we want to continue that.
“He’s one of our better players. I’ve said that since I’ve been here, get the ball to your best players. Keep feeding them until they figure out how to stop it. We just need 10 other gentlemen to do the same thing.”
While the Raiders are getting highlight performances from others — defensive end Maxx Crosby is his usual unending stamina self, cornerback Jakorian Bennett is having a sensational sophomore season, rookie guard/center Jackson Powers-Johnson is proving to be pro-ready, too, and kicker Daniel Carlson and punter AJ Cole III remain standouts, for example — there isn’t much for Las Vegas to hang their hat on overall.
The ground game continues to be ineffective and inconsistent while the quarterback play has been suspect. Despite all that, Bowers continues to produce and appears to be incompetence-proof. So, feed and feature the tight end until it’s no longer...
