Asst. GM Champ Kelly, Raiders Viewed Brock Bowers as an 'Offensive Weapon'

The Las Vegas Raiders view first-round pick Brock Bowers as much more than just a tight end.

Dec 2, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs tight end Brock Bowers (19) takes the field before / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Las Vegas Raiders acquired one of the best players in this year's NFL Draft when they selected former Georgia tight end Brock Bowers in the first round.

Bowers is a generational talent, having been the top tight end in college football over the last two seasons who was also part of back-to-back national title teams.

When the Raiders took Bowers with that 13th overall pick, there were initial concerns due to the fact that Las Vegas already had a solid up-and-coming tight end in Michael Mayer, who happened to be the runner-up to the John Mackey Award that Bowers took home in 2022.

It seems, however, that there isn't a need for fans to focus too closely on the position.

Raiders assistant general manager Champ Kelly discussed the role the club envisions for the Bowers when he addressed the media on Wednesday.

"He's a really good football player, was highly productive in college," Kelly said. "His position is tight end, but we saw him as a playmaker and offensive weapon. There is, by no means, any pressure on him to come in and attain any numbers. We need him to come in, learn this system, get acclimated to this city, meet his teammates, learn how to work well with Michael Mayer and Harrison Bryant, Cole Fotheringham, Zach Gentry, and getting to know those guys and really learn the offense.

"But yeah, he's a fun piece to have because it's going to be interesting to see how defenses are going to deploy when he's on the football field."

Bowers was a two-time John Mackey Award winner at Georgia as the nation's best tight end. Most had projected Bowers to be off the board by the time the Raiders were up to pick at 13, but with the top-six quarterbacks in the draft all going prior to that point, Bowers would fall to a spot Las Vegas just couldn't pass up.

As Kelly said, there isn't pressure on the rookie tight end. Bowers proved long ago that he was ready to be a pro.

Bowers and the rest of the Raiders' 2024 draft class will begin rookie minicamp on Friday.

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