Las Vegas Raiders New TE Brock Bowers Formal Introductory Press Conference in Nevada

TE Brock Bowers, the Las Vegas Raiders' first-round draft pick, addressed the media today in Henderson, Nevada, and we have everything he said.

HENDERSON, Nev.--The Las Vegas Raiders and GM Tom Telesco felt like Christmas morning came early yesteday when they selected TE Brock Bowers.

Bowers was projected my nearly every expert to be a top-six pick in the NFLDraft, and many felt he was one, of a handful of players in which any team couldn't miss. He is that elite

Moments ago, he spoke to the media from here at the Silver and Black team headquarters, and you can WATCH IT ALL WHEN YOU CLICK HERE. Additionally, you can read the entire transcript below:

First-Round Pick (No. 13 Overall) TE Brock Bowers
Q: I was wondering if you could sum up what these last 24 hours have been like culminating with
walking into this building as the newest member of the Raiders?
Bowers: "Yeah, it's been pretty crazy. I feel like it hasn't all soaked in yet, just because last night was a lot of emotions and stuff, and then I went to sleep and got up early and caught a flight out here. So, I mean, it's exciting to see where I'm going to be at for the next couple years, and hopefully, it's a good place."

Q: Can you talk to us about the different ways the coaches plan to use you as a weapon?
Bowers: "Yeah, we haven't gotten too much into that yet. I think that'll come more in the next couple of
weeks with OTAs and rookie minicamp and all of that. So, I'm excited to get to know how I'm going to be used, and what's going to happen."

Q: It's been a short amount of time, but have you had conversations with Zamir White or Chris Smith or any of those guys? Or any of the (Georgia) Bulldogs in the building yet?
Bowers: "I haven't yet, I was going to hit them up. But yeah, it felt like a long night last night just waiting
around. I had a bunch of texts, so I'm looking forward to seeing them again and reconnecting with them."
Q: Coming into the draft, Maxx Crosby said all he really wanted to get out of this draft was to get some more dogs on the team. Do you feel like you'll bring that to the team?
Bowers: "Yeah, I feel like I'm a hard-working guy and am always competing. I love to compete. And I feel like that's something I bring to the table every day in practice; I'm going to be trying to just win every rep."

Q: The story of your lastseason at Georgia, you underwent ankle surgery and came back in such a short
timeframe. I know you didn't want to make a big deal of it at the time and talked about it a little bit.
But looking back, what was that process like? How hard was it to get back on the field so quickly? Does that kind of speak to your mentality?
Bowers: "Yeah, when it happened, some of the coaches were like, you can come back or not, it's
completely up to you. But I was like, man, watching everyone still out there playing, watching all my guys playing, I wanted to be back out there and try to help the team win. So, I mean, that's kind of what my mindset was. And I ended up being able to come back, so it was good."

Q: In high school, you played pretty much a little bit of everything position-wise. Do you think that helped you at all?
Bowers: "Yeah, definitely. I got to know so many different things moving positions and everything like
that and playing defense too in high school. And I mean, even at Georgia, they moved me around decent amount. So, it's a lot of fun being moved around like that."

Q: What has been your overall impression so far of the facility, meeting Antonio Pierce, initial thoughts
of Las Vegas?
Bowers: "It's been awesome. I mean, it still feels kind of surreal. It's kind of crazy this is my new home and this where I'm going to spend the next couple years. So, I'm excited."

Q: Being that you did play all those different positions in high school and some colleges were even
recruiting you for other positions, wasthere a point that you can recall in high school that you just knew being a tight end was your future in football?
Bowers: "I guess there wasn't really a point where it kind of hit me, but it was kind of I always felt like I
was better at tight end, at catching the ball and trying to score. I mean, it's just kind of my favorite thing to do, go score with the ball in my hands."
Q: How did you first find football way back when? And when did you first start thinking the NFL was
really going to happen for you?
Bowers: "Man, I mean, football has always kind of been in the back of my mind. I remember watching NFL games on Sunday, Monday, and playing catch in the living room just watching games and being like, 'Man, I want to be there one day.' And I think it all got kind of real after my freshman year in college and I was like, 'Man, I have a shot at this, to go do it and live out my dream.'"
Q: Were you surprised that you were able to have such success so early on, especially in the SEC?
Bowers: "Yeah, definitely. I mean, I came in there and just kind of put my head down and just went to
work and I just wanted to help the team win any way I could. It was definitely special coming in there and being able to make an impact early."
Q: I spoke with somebody who covered you at Georgia and they said that you are a prolific film watcher. Where did that come from with you being such a student of the game?
Bowers: "Yeah, I think that had to do with a little bit of the coaching influence. I mean, they say, 'If you
want to be great, you have to watch film and study your opponent.' And I mean, you just have to want to do it, but that's noticing game situation, being prepared for the game. I mean, you have to do what you have to do."
Q: Are there are specific tight ends you studied on film to get better as well?
Bowers: "Yeah, I like watching a bit of NFL tape, getting to know what those guys do. I mean, Mark
Andrews, [Travis] Kelce, [George] Kittle, all those guys, they're fun to watch."
Q: Growing up in Napa, were you a Raider family or how did that work?
Bowers: "Well, we liked the 49ers a little bit, but the Raiders did their training camp in Napa at my middle school actually, that was my middle school they went to. It's pretty cool how it all comes full circle like that."
Q: How quickly last night did everybody switch over from the 49ers to the Raiders?
Bowers: "Nah, man, there were a lot of Raiders fans there though. Yeah, a lot of people like the Raiders
from Napa

Q: You talked about the training camp being there when you were young. I mean, hasit kind of dawned
on you thinking back and watching them train and now you are part of that organization?
Bowers: "It's pretty crazy. I mean, like if someone would've told me that I'd be a part of that team and
that organization I'd be like, 'No, no way,' but it's pretty crazy how it all comes around."

Q: After high school you felt like you wanted to go down south and play in the SEC and push yourself
against the best. Was that sort of the thought process behind making that decision and going down
there to Athens?
Bowers: "Yeah, I mean everyone always said the SEC had the best competition and everything like that, so I wanted to go somewhere where that was the case and win some football games. So, I think we did that."
Q: You might have won more football games than just about anyone the last few years. What can you
bring from being a part of that winning culture and what you guys built at Georgia and bring it here
right away?
Bowers: "Yeah, I think the culture at Georgia was really good. I mean, we had a winning standard, and the standard was everything there, so I mean I'm excited to see what we've got going on here and just get after it."

Q: You were on a team with Zamir White. How excited are you to kind of be reunited with him as well?
Bowers: "Yeah, Zamir [White] and Chris Smith, played with both of them. So, I'm excited to reconnect
with them and hopefully learn some things about the area and around the building. I'm excited."

Q: Zamir White is always talking to us about all the things he likes to do outdoors. I know you're a big
outdoors guy too. Is there going to be enough around here to satisfy you in that regard?
Bowers: "I mean I hope so. I'm sure there is. We'll see what happens."

Q: Have you been to Vegas? Were you excited to be picked to be in this city?
Bowers: "Yeah I'm super excited. I mean, it's definitely closer than Georgia to home, so it makes flights a little easier for my friends and family and stuff and going back home. So, I'm definitely excited to get to know the area more."

Q: In the pre-draft process and any interviews that you kind of had with Antonio Pierce, what's your
initial thoughts of just him as a coach and him as a person?
Bowers: “I mean, he's awesome. I'm so excited to be able to play for a coach like that, and I'm just ready to get to work and see how everything rolls out here.”
Q: I know you've only been in the league for like 12 hours now or something, but I mean, have you
thought like long term what are your goals? What do you want to accomplish?
Bowers: “I mean, I haven't thought much about long term goals. I'm more focused on what I can do right now. Just be as ready as I can for rookie minicamp and everything upcoming this next year. So, I'm excited to just try to do whatever I can to help the team win, and just do me.”

Q: Your mom and dad here. I'm sure they have driven you to a lot of practices over the years and got
you to 7-on-7 tournaments. What's it like to be able to have them here at this moment?
Bowers: “Yeah, it's pretty awesome to have them here. Obviously, they supported me through it all and
they've been there with me every step of the way. And I'm sure that will continue.”
Q: Who's the best athlete in your family?
Bowers: “That's always a big argument. I usually let my parents argue about it. But yeah, I don't want to
say anything. No comment on that.”
Q: What are your thoughts on sharing the tight end room with Michael Mayer?
Bowers: “I'm excited to get to work with him. And I mean, hopefully he can teach me a thing or two. I
remember watching him in college and at the next level, so I'm excited to see what happens and meet
with all the guys."

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