Brock Bowers had a legendary rookie season for the Las Vegas Raiders after the franchise selected him 13th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. He recorded 1,194 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 112 receptions.
He set the NFL rookie record and Raiders franchise record for receptions, while also setting the NFL rookie record for receiving yards by a tight end. His performance earned him First-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors in his inaugural professional campaign.
It was somewhat of a shock that Bowers was still on the board when Las Vegas was on the clock, as his collegiate career left no doubt that he would be a star at the NFL level. Former Dallas Cowboys star Dez Bryant recently shared an old tweet where he predicted that the then-Georgia Bulldogs star would be the best tight end the league has ever seen.
Former All-Pro WR Dez Bryant predicted Raiders star Brock Bowers would be great
Bowers joined the Bulldogs as a four-star prospect in the 2021 recruiting class. He wasted no time proving his talent as he recorded 882 receiving yards and a program record 13 touchdowns on 56 receptions as a true freshman, while adding 56 rushing yards and one touchdown on four carries.
He was named a second-team All-American as Georgia won their first of back-to-back national titles. Following the season, former All-Pro wide receiver Dez Bryant posted a cryptic tweet about a potential future NFL star.
"The best tight end the NFL will ever host is not in the NFL yet… can anybody guess the tight end I’m referring to? He’s a dynamic college athlete."Dez Bryant
While he did not provide further context, plenty of fans assumed he was talking about Bowers. He cleared that up over the weekend by reposting and adding context to the three-year-old post.
"I was talking about Brock Bowers."Dez Bryant
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Bowers went on to have a storied three-year collegiate career, as he recorded 2,538 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns on 175 receptions, while adding 193 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 19 carries.
He was named an All-American in each of his three seasons, while becoming the only tight end to win the John Mackey Award twice. While he is widely considered to be one of the greatest tight ends in college football history, he has a long way to go before he can be considered the greatest tight end in NFL history.
Bowers has, however, gotten off to a great start as he had the greatest rookie season of any player at his position. With upgrades all around him now in Las Vegas, Raider Nation is hoping that Bowers can one day assert himself into the conversation for the all-time greats.