• The Las Vegas Raiders land one of the best tight end prospects in recent years: Brock Bowers becomes a high-end weapon to rely on for years to come for a rebuilding offense.
• Bowers doesn’t get an ideal landing spot but should still be fantasy-relevant: His talent and upside alone make him a consideration as a top-12 TE for fantasy purposes in 2024.
• Check in on the PFF Fantasy live draft blog: Reactions and conversations around each pick as they happen
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One of the best tight end prospects in recent history, Brock Bowers was drafted 13th overall by the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Georgia product will help rebuild an offense still searching for a franchise quarterback.
A new TE1 in Las Vegas
Bowers is far and away the top tight end in this year’s class and one of the best tight end prospects in recent history. He achieved a rare feat as a tight end, leading his team in targets in all three of his college seasons at Georgia.
Landing on the Raiders—after they added Michael Mayer in the second round of the 2023 draft—isn’t likely to stop him from producing in the NFL. How much he delivers for fantasy purposes will depend on the quarterback play between Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew.
Brock Bowers’ career college metrics and ranks:
| Metric | Value | Rank among TE prospects since 2018 |
| Receiving grade | 94.1 | 96th percentile |
| Yards per route run | 2.64 | 96th percentile |
| Yards per target | 11.1 | 99th percentile |
| YPRR from an in-line alignment | 3.83 | 99th percentile |
| 1st down/touchdown rate | 14.6% | 95th percentile |
| YAC/reception | 8.50 | 94th percentile |
Bowers' outlook as a Raider
The Raiders aren’t one of the best landing spots for fantasy purposes, but Bowers is still one of the best rookie fantasy options coming out of this draft.
Alongside Davante Adams in 2024, Bowers has the talent and skill set to be one of the centerpieces of this Raiders offense — and for years to come. The Raiders spent a second-round pick on Michael Mayer last offseason, but he wasn’t fantasy-relevant as a rookie as he shared time with Austin Hooper.
Bowers could share some time with Mayer, but he earned his elite target share at Georgia with the likes of high-end draft prospects Adonai Mitchell and Ladd McConkey also on the team, so emerging as a top weapon among other weapons is nothing he isn’t familiar with. He’s also the more talented player, and it shouldn’t be long before he takes over that top spot on the depth chart.
Las Vegas Raiders 2023 stats and ranks (Weeks 1-17)
| Metric | Value | Rank |
| Pass play percentage | 61.1% | 16th |
| Run play percentage | 38.9% | 17th |
| FF PPG (QB) | 11.2 | 28th |
| FF PPG (RB) | 14.1 | T-26th |
| FF PPG (WR) | 22.7 | 15th |
| FF PPG (TE) | 4.2 | 29th |
| Las Vegas Raiders expected receiving depth chart | |
| WR1 | Davante Adams |
| WR2 | Jakobi Meyers |
| WR3 | Tre Tucker |
| TE1 | Brock Bowers |
| TE2 | Michael Mayer |
Fantasy football outlook
Finishing as a top-six tight end as a rookie is going to seem more viable after Sam LaPorta just posted one of the best rookie seasons of all time. As much as Bowers is an ever-better prospect, it’s a lofty expectation for a rookie.
That being said, despite some strong competition at the top of his position and an unideal offense to produce in, he’s talented enough to be considered a top-12 option heading into this year due to the upside alone.
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