Brock Bowers will be one of the elite playmakers entering the 2024 NFL Draft if he declares. On Friday, the Georgia Bulldogs star tight end one the John Mackey Awards for the second consecutive season, solidifying him as one of college football’s top tight ends of all time.
In a season in which he was held back due to a high ankle sprain, Bowers still dominated when he was on the field with 56 receptions, 714 receiving yards, and six touchdowns.
Although he is still undecided on whether he will enter the NFL Draft, the prospects of that is high since Bowers has achieved everything at the college level. Aside from his personal accolades he has helped the Bulldogs when back-to-back National titles during his tenure with the team.
So, what’s next for the 6-foot-4, 240-pound tight end?
Projected as a top 10 pick, Bowers will be on the radar of teams looking for a dynamic playmaker to catapult their offenses, especially at the tight end position. Which teams would Bowers fit best? Here’s a look at three teams tailor made for Brock Bowers.
New England Patriots: Brock Bowers fills the void left by Rob Gronkowski
Currently sitting with the No. 2 pick overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots should have their sights on one of the top 2 quarterbacks entering the draft or perhaps Marvin Harrison Jr. But, with a couple more wins to close out the season, the Patriots could see themselves selecting in that 5-10 range which is where Brock Bowers is projected to go.
If that is the case, Patriots fans will have dreams of the next Rob Gronkowski if the team decides to take care of adding one of the top playmakers entering the draft not named Harrison Jr.
Obviously, this is going to depend on what the Patriots do at the quarterback position as they could draft a playmaker like Bowers and then go the QB route early in the first. There is also the possibility of the team trading back in the top 10 to gain extra picks on Day 2 or perhaps gain another first round pick if another team is high on plying Bill Belichick away as their next head coach.
Those will be the big questions facing the Patriots this offseason, but with both Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki headed towards free agency, a tight end will be one of the big needs. After swings and misses in previous drafts, Bowers will present as a sure bet at the position and could help a young quarterback in the Patriots’ offense in 2024.
Again, comparisons to the days Gronk wore the uniform will be referenced, but the Georgia product would bring his own element of dominance to the franchise as a versatile playmaker who could be the big play game-changer the Patriots have been lacking.
Los Angles Chargers: Justin Herbert forms that tight end connection again
There are a lot of mock drafts that have linked Brock Bowers to the Los Angeles Chargers and thinking back to Justin Herbert’s rookie season, he thrived with a pass-catching tight end in the offense. In that respect, Bowers would make a ton of sense in a Chargers’ uniform.
With star power on the defensive side of the ball, the Chargers could afford to target a game changer like Bowers high in the draft. Currently sitting with the No. 12 overall pick, the Georgia standout could be just out of range, but the Chargers could end up somewhere in the top 10 if they can’t string together more wins the rest of the season. If they do string together wins, they could find themselves back in the playoff mix.
Either way, there will be some changes in the offseason because despite the talent of Herbert, the offense hasn’t flowed consistently. Keenan Allen has been Keenan Allen, but the biggest disappointment has been 2023 first-round pick Quentin Johnson who hasn’t been able to find his footing so far in the NFL.
While he still has a chance to settle into the NFL and become a big target for Herbert, a pass-catching tight end like Bowers would give the young quarterback the reliable target he had when he was throwing to Hunter Henry during his rookie season.
In all, Bowers could be the missing piece in L.A.
Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow to Brock Bowers!
The silver lining to the Cincinnati Bengals losing Joe Burrow for the rest of the season is that they could end up with a high draft pick.
Now, Jake Browning is trying his best to savage the season, but let’s say the Bengals remain in the middle of the first round. If Brock Bowers is in reach, should the team trade up to get Burrow another playmaker in the offense.
With Tee Higgins approaching free agency, finding another target outside of Ja’Marr Chase could be a focus for the Bengals in the offseason. A Burrow to Bowers NFL connection would be quite intriguing as the veteran QB hasn’t had that star tight end talent so far in his career.
The team did bring in Irv Smith Jr., but so far he has just 16 receptions for 97 yards. Backup tight end Drew Sample has similar production. So, the tight end role in the Bengals offense hasn’t been a focal point but with Chase and Higgins on the outside, there hasn’t been a big need, but with defenses continuing to lock down on Chase, the potential of a Bowers dominating the middle of the field could make Burrow that much more dangerous as a gunslinger.
In conclusion, there are several teams who would love a talent like Bowers. But, as far as him finding immediate success, the three teams noted as top destinations are fits for Bowers for different and intriguing reasons.