Raiders select versatile pass-catcher with No. 13 pick in draft

The run on offensive players continues. The Raiders are out of options with respect to quarterbacks, so they have selected Georgia tight end Brock Bowers with the 13th pick.

Bowers racked up 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns during his three-year tenure with the Bulldogs. He played a key role in the team winning the national title in 2021 and 2022, and in the latter campaign he earned first-team All-American honors. Bowers took home the John Mackey award as the nation’s top tight end in each of the past two seasons, making him the only multi-time winner.

Considering his pass-catching ability and his position, Bowers was considered by most draft pundits to be an early first-round pick. There were some rumblings that he could land with the Jets with their first-round selection, but he ended up sliding to Las Vegas.

Day 1 draft investments at the TE spot have generally not gone according to plan. Over the past 10 years, Kyle Pitts is the only one of the nine tight ends drafted in the first round to reach the 1,000-yard receiving mark. The Browns (David Njoku) are the only team to date to extend a homegrown player at the position during that span, although Pitts and 2023 Bills selection Dalton Kincaid are not yet eligible for a second contract.

Bowers should slide atop the Raiders depth chart. Michael Mayer is still around, and the team brought in Harrison Bryant as a veteran replacement for Austin Hooper. Considering Bowers’ offensive versatility, he could easily play alongside either of his two new teammates on the Raiders offense.

For the first time in NFL history, 13 straight picks have been used on players on one side of the ball.