Brock Bowers Says He Was Incredibly Thrown Off by Raiders' Decision to Draft Him

The Raiders took Bowers with the 13th pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

The Raiders drafted Brock Bowers with the No. 13 pick last year. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Brock Bowers set records for the most receptions in a rookie season (112) and the most receiving yards by a rookie as a tight end (1,194). Ahead of that historic first-year campaign, though, he had no idea how his draft night would shake out. And he certainly wasn't expecting to land with the Las Vegas Raiders.

In a recent appearance on the Bussin' With The Boys podcast with Taylor Lewan and Will Compton, Bowers spoke to just how surprised he was to see a call from a Las Vegas area code before he heard his name called.

"It's actually kind of funny, it's always like the team you least expect to pick you," Bowers said to Lewan and Compton, via NFL.com and Raiders.com's Levi Edwards. "I didn't talk to them a ton, I talked to other teams a lot more, and then all of a sudden I'm sitting there on draft night and I get a call. Me and my agent are talking, and Las Vegas isn't even in the picture really. ... All of a sudden, I get a call and it says Las Vegas, Nevada.

"I said, 'Should I pick this up?' and he said, 'Hell yeah pick it up!'"

After that phone call, the rest was history. Bowers caught five touchdowns in addition to the record-setting 112 receptions and 1,194 receiving yards during his first season in the Silver and Black. The rookie campaign resulted in a Pro Bowl appearance. Heading into year two, Bowers will continue as a focal point of the rejuvenated Raiders behind new coach Pete Carroll and quarterback Geno Smith.

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