Player Spotlight: Georgia Tight End Brock Bowers

Name: Brock Bowers
Position: Tight End
School: Georgia
Age (Draft Day): 21
Height/Weight: 6'3", 243 lbs

Background

How do you value Brock Bowers? That is the question informally posed to every NFL team and draft analyst around the world heading into the 2024 NFL draft. Bowers is one of the most talented and productive tight ends in the history of college football. The Georgia star actually had his worst statistical output in a season, but that was due to him missing three games due to injury. In the 10 games he did feature in, Bowers posted 714 yards on 56 catches and seven total touchdowns. He is a three-time All-American and the only player to ever win the John Mackey Award (given to the best tight end in the country) twice.

Bowers is a bit undersized for the position, standing at 6'3" and weighing 243 pounds. Those rank in the 23rd and 12th percentile respectively for tight ends, according to Mockdraftable. Bowers is definitely a chess piece as a receiver, too big for most safeties, but too fast for most linebackers. If that sounds like Kyle Pitts, that's understandable. However, Bowers can line up in line in addition to his ability to play in the slot or out wide. Additionally, he is a legitimate contributor as a blocker. Despite playing the same position, they are far from the same prospect.

Strengths

Featured player: There are times this year that Bowers was the Georgia offense. He powered them past Auburn and came up huge against Kentucky. He is capable of being the offensive centerpiece of a passing offense.

Route running and body control: Bowers is a good route runner who has good change of direction speed in his routes. He does a nice job throttling up and down his urgency on routes depending on the coverage. When the ball is in the air, he has excellent body control and excels at adjusting to the ball.

Run after catch ability: Bowers is also a load to bring down in the open field, barreling through smaller defenders and fighting for extra yardage. He has good open-field speed for the position as well.

Blocking: As a run blocker, Bowers takes good angles and rarely takes plays off. He keeps his shoulders square and displays good upper body strength to create a push. For as much as Georgia relied on him at times, I think his play style will fit even better at the NFL level.

Weaknesses

Size and contested catch ability: Overall, Bower's college tape is impressive. There is not a ton to critique. That being said, he is a bit undersized, which leads him to be less effective in contested catch situations than some of his peers at the position. He has strong hands, but lacks the size and length to box out defenders on third down or in the red zone.

Needs improved technique: When trying to sell routes to create separation, Bowers can lack some fluidity. He is guilty of throwing his shoulder into players as a blocker at times rather than getting his hands into their chest and driving them off the ball. I would also like to see Bowers tweak how he runs with the ball to emphasize ball security.

NFL Comparison: George Kittle

Bowers reminds me a lot of Kittle. They both excel at impacting the game beyond simply racking up receiving yards. Run blocking, athleticism and run-after-catch ability are strengths for both of them. They have a very similar body type and I think Bowers can be used in a similar way in an NFL offense.

NFL Draft Outlook: Top 20 pick

Finding a spot for Bowers in mock drafts is actually a testament to how talented he is. Drafting a tight end early has not worked out well for a number of teams. The position is simply not valued highly enough and many of the best players at the position were selected on Day 2 if not Day 3 of the draft. But, Bowers is challenging that convention because he is one of the most well-rounded and polished tight end prospects to come out ever. He rivals Pitts and Vernon Davis as the best prospect at the position of all time. If he goes to an offense that moves him around and utilizes him as a mismatch for opposing defenses, he could wind up being a Hall of Famer.

Grade: 92