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The Cincinnati Bengals were predicted to add yet another dynamic playmaker for quarterback Joe Burrow in the 2024 NFL Draft, trading up for Georgia tight end Brock Bowers.
A-to-Z Sports assistant editor Destin Adams outlined the trade proposal during a mock draft on February 26, swapping the Bengals and Las Vegas Raiders at pick Nos. 13 and 18. Below was the full draft compensation in this hypothetical deal:
- Bengals get pick No. 13 (select TE Brock Bowers).
- Raiders get pick No. 18. (select CB Quinyon Mitchell), 2024 third & 2025 second.
“Another trade, as I have the Bengals jumping two teams I think are real threats to select Brock Bowers with the [New Orleans] Saints and [Indianapolis] Colts,” Adams explained. “The Bengals tagged Tee Higgins and most likely will keep the WR this year, but it could mean the end of the Tyler Boyd era in Cincinnati.”
“If he’s gone, it is a priority to find a quick route winner and safety blanket for Joe Burrow to convert first downs and open up the field for their star WR duo,” the NFL analyst went on. “And I have them finding just that in Georgia TE Brock Bowers.”
Potential Bengals’ Draft Target Brock Bowers Ranked 7th Overall by NFL Network Expert Daniel Jeremiah
Some consider Bowers to be a generational talent at the tight end position, but it’s unclear if NFL general managers will target any TE in the top 10 of the draft. NFL Network scouting expert Daniel Jeremiah updated his top 50 prospect list on February 26, and Bowers was placed seventh within the 2024 class.
“Bowers is an undersized tight end with elite speed, strength and playmaking ability,” Jeremiah reasoned. “He lined up all over the field at Georgia — in-line, on the wing, split out and even at running back.”
The analyst continued on, describing Bowers’ strengths as a player: “He is very sudden in his release, and he uses his upper-body strength to chuck defenders when pressed at the line of scrimmage. He catches a lot of quick-hitters in the flat and he’s a maniac on screens. [Bowers] attacks the ball in the air and is quick to transition up the field. He has the speed to pull away, but his greatest asset is his tackle-breaking power [and] he runs through contact without gearing down.”
As a blocker, Jeremiah called Bowers “effective” in the run game but noted that “he will get pressed out by longer-armed edge rushers.” He likened his play style to San Francisco 49ers star George Kittle, and predicted a “similar impact” at the NFL level.
For the record, Bleacher Report’s Derrik Klassen compared Bowers to Kittle as well, and so did The Draft Network’s Damian Parson — although the TDN scout also noted Detroit Lions breakout rookie Sam LaPorta as a secondary comp.
Bengals Discuss Tee Higgins Franchise Tag Decision, Leave Door Open for Trade
The Bengals informed Higgins that he would be franchise tagged on February 23 according to multiple sources including NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport. On February 27, director of player personnel Duke Tobin addressed the decision at the NFL combine.
“In terms of our intentions going forward and answering hypotheticals of what could and couldn’t come about, I won’t get into that, but we feel like we’re a better team with him,” Tobin told reporters. “The reason we franchised him is because we would like to have him. He’s not under contract and it’s hard for me to predict all the different scenarios that could happen.”
The Bengals lead exec also noted that “[Higgins] fits us perfectly,” reiterating that “we tagged him for that reason.”
He would not comment on the potential of trading Higgins at a later date, however, Bengals media member Ben Baby (ESPN) recalled a “very different” message from Tobin on Higgins in 2023.
“I’m in the business of making the Cincinnati Bengals better, and so trading Tee Higgins is not on my mind,” Tobin said last February, per Baby. “That’s their problem. [If] they want a receiver, go find your own.”
In 2024, it appears the trade door is still slightly ajar — with a clear preference that Higgins and the Bengals can work out a long-term extension.
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