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Despite Brock Bowers being considered one of the top tight end prospects to enter the draft in years, the Las Vegas Raiders were not among the teams linked to him. It was a surprise when Bowers was available at No. 13 and an even bigger surprise when the Raiders decided to select him.
The reason it was such a surprise is due to the fact that the team used the No. 35 pick to add Michael Mayer just a year ago. It appears that the plan is to utilize both tight ends heavily but it’s also possible the team could try to recoup some value for Mayer. Dallas Robinson of Pro Football Focus pitched a trade that would send Mayer and a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Indianapolis Colts for a 2025 second-round pick.
“Las Vegas doesn’t necessarily have to trade Mayer after using the 13th overall pick on fellow TE Brock Bowers, who can play as an oversized slot receiver,” Robinson wrote in a May 6 column. “New Raiders OC Luke Getsy ran 12 personnel (two tight ends) at the NFL’s seventh-highest rate (23.5%) in 2023.
“However, first-year Raiders GM Tom Telesco had no role in drafting Mayer in 2023. He might be willing to move the talented tight end, especially if Vegas can recoup the second-round choice it used to select Mayer.”
Getting a second-round pick back for Mayer could be appealing. They’d at least be getting the value back that they used to get him. That said, it sounds like the Raiders plan to keep the young tight end.
Brock Bowers Talks Teaming up With Michael Mayer
Bowers isn’t a normal tight end. He’s a dynamic athlete who can line up all over the offense. Mayer is a more traditional tight end who can serve that role for the Raiders. That allows the team to be more creative with how they use Bowers.
For his part, Bowers is excited about teaming up with Mayer.
“I think if you have two great tight ends, it’s really hard to match up personnel-wise in order to defend against pass and the run, so I think it makes it difficult for defenses,” Bowers said during his May 10 media availability.”
Mayer didn’t have a huge rookie season but he showed flashes of big-time potential. If offensive coordinator Luke Getsy figures out a way to use both tight ends effectively, the Raiders will be giving a lot of defenses difficult matchups.
Antonio Pierce Excited About TE Duo
Another big indicator that the Raiders won’t trade Mayer is how excited head coach Antonio Pierce seems about his new tight end duo.
“I said ‘Damn, this is going to be a great combination. Two young studs to grow up together within our organization that can help us win a lot of games,’” Pierce said during his May 10 media availability.
The Raiders may not have needed a tight end but it’s hard to argue against Bowers as a prospect. The team could have one of the most interesting passing attacks in the NFL. The wide receiver room is stacked and the team could have the best tight end duo in the NFL. That should help hide a lot of the potential issues at quarterback.
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