The Las Vegas Raiders were widely expected to be aggressive in trying to add one of the top quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft but didn’t end up selecting a single one. One of the big surprises of the draft was the team selecting Georgia tight end Brock Bowers with the No. 13 pick.
The Raiders used an early second-round pick on tight end Michael Mayer last year and the team had much bigger needs on the roster. However, Bowers was the best player on the board and the team decided to bounce.
While Las Vegas received high marks for the pick from many outlets, some people around the NFL weren’t impressed with the decision, according to The Athletic’s Mike Sando.
“I think they were stuck once Atlanta took (Michael) Penix and they were like, ‘Oh, crap, we might not get a quarterback to fall to us,’ and they scrambled and took that kid,” an NFL executive told Sando of the Bowers pick in a May 3 column. “He is a good player, but a luxury item. I don’t like those kinds of picks unless you have everything else.”
A cornerback or offensive lineman would’ve made more sense for the Raiders at No. 13 with all the top quarterbacks off the board but if Bowers can be the next star tight end, it’s easy to understand why Las Vegas would want to bring him in as a building block.
Las Vegas Raiders Need to Be Creative With Brock Bowers
Though the Raiders have a new offensive coaching staff, there’s no reason to believe that they’ve given up on the idea that Mayer can be an impact player. It’s more likely that the team plans to run a lot of 12-personnel, which would have two tight ends on the field.
However, one executive believes that the Raiders really need to be creative with Bowers if he’s going to have the impact that he’s capable of.
“Bowers is not like Dalton Kincaid where you can create separation in the normal flow of the offense,” the executive told Sando. “You have to move him. He would be ideal in San Francisco or Miami. Whereas Kincaid is special at the top of the route, Bowers is one-cut, catch it, break three tackles and he’s gone. Hopefully, they have a good plan for him because he can do some really unique things with the ball.”
It’s now on offensive coordinator Luke Getsy so figure out the best way to use Bowers.
Brock Bowers is going to ball out for the Raiders 😎
Davante Adams Praises Luke Getsy
There was some concern from fans when the Raiders hired Getsy. He was just recently fired from the same job with the Chicago Bears. However, nobody on the team has as much experience with the coach as star wide receiver Davante Adams.
He spent seven years with Getsy when they were both with the Green Bay Packers and he believes the coach is a good fit.
“We got a really good system on offense now and it’s something that I’m very familiar with,” Adams said on the April 30 episode “The Rush with Maxx Crosby.” “It’s literally the same verbiage, everything, the same playbook because you know [Luke] Getsy was my wide receiver coach and he took what we did in Green Bay to the Bears and they didn’t have the best cast to make it look like it work, but it’s a hell of a system.”
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Exec Rips Raiders for Brock Bowers Draft Pick