Rumors swirled about what the Las Vegas Raiders could do with their first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. They were connected to some of the quarterbacks, but it ended up that a trade would have been necessary to land any of them.
Six of them went off the board in the first 12 picks, taking that option off the table for Las Vegas. So, they pivoted in a direction that no one saw coming. With the No. 13 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Raiders selected Georgia tight end Brock Bowers.
It was a selection that left a lot of people scratching their heads. Just last year Las Vegas used a second-round pick on Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer and he looked to be the future of the franchise at the position.
Now, he will have some competition in that regard from Bowers, who was the highest-rated tight end in this year’s draft class. While some fans were left perplexed by the selection, some people liked it a lot.
One of those people is a former NFL executive who spoke to NFL Analysis Network. In their opinion, the Bowers selection was a home run for the Raiders given the immense upside that he possesses.
“I’m not going to say much about this pick. It’s an A+ move for the Raiders. Giving Aidan O’Connell a group of Davante Adams, Michael Mayer, Brock Bowers, and Jakobi Meyers is exactly what their young quarterback needs. Las Vegas brought in the next potential Gronk.”
Comparing any tight end to Rob Gronkowski, one of the all-time greats, is high praise. Bowers was dominant in his three seasons with the Bulldogs, catching 175 passes for 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns. He was also a threat as a runner, carrying the ball 19 times for 193 yards and five more scores.
There is no doubt that the Raiders are adding a dynamic young player to their core of skill position weapons. However, it is fair to argue that Aidan O’Connell won’t be their long-term option under center.
Las Vegas did sign veteran Gardner Minshew in free agency to the kind of contract that hints at him at least having a shot to earn the starting job. O’Connell needs to beat him out first before thinking about growing and developing with the skill position players in place long-term.
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