When Brock Bowers fell to pick 13 in the 2024 NFL Draft, fans and NFL personalities alike knew the Las Vegas Raiders were poised to get an exceptional talent. It remained unclear how that exceptional talent would fare with the quarterback situation in Sin City, however.
Six weeks later, that question has a definitive answer: Bowers fares incredibly well with Garner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell under center. Better than any other tight end in the National Football League, in fact.
That’s not an exaggeration, either.
Through six weeks, Bowers leads all tight ends league-wide in receptions with 38 – nine more than the second-highest amount at his position. His 384 receiving yards also ranks first among all tight ends, beating out the next-best by 83. No player at Bowers’ position has more first downs than the rookie either, who’s either moved the chains or scored 17 times in total.
With all the balls thrown his way, Bowers has only been responsible for one drop. He’s even been able to haul in seven passes in tight coverage; tied with George Kittle for most among tight ends.
Bowers is an invaluable asset to the Raiders moving forward. So much so that his presence makes trading first-team All-Pro wideout Davante Adams a reasonable pill to swallow.
Las Vegas Raiders TE Brock Bowers explodes in back-to-back weeks
Although the Raiders lost big during their Week 6 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bowers had himself another great outing.
Only two pass-catchers across the NFL tallied more receptions than Bowers’ mark of nine this past week. His 71 receiving yards stood as the third-highest total among all tight ends, earning the fourth-highest grade at his position via Pro Football Focus (80.6).
This performance comes directly after his eight-catch, 97-yard contest in Week 5, where he led all tight ends in receiving yardage and scored his first touchdown at the NFL-level.
The touchdowns haven’t come in bunches for Bowers, and that’s largely due to a lack of targets inside the red zone. Bowers has only had three passes his way in the red zone; 71 players across the NFL have had their number called more times inside the 20 than the Raiders’ rookie.
But it hasn’t actually hurt Las Vegas’ red zone offense.
In fact, the Raiders’ red zone offense is among the most efficient league-wide. With 66.7% of red zone trips ending in a touchdown, only six teams across the NFL can say they put up six at a higher rate once inside the 20.
The Silver and Black haven’t finished a season outside the bottom-10 in red zone conversion percentage since 2018.
*Top Photo: Nick Wass/ AP photo
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