The Las Vegas Raiders got a bit lucky in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. While then-general manager Tom Telesco and the team originally set out to find a talented young quarterback, the top six players at the position ended up being taken by the time they were on the clock.
This resulted in generational tight end prospect Brock Bowers falling into their lap at No. 13, and Telesco was forced to draft him as the best player available. Bowers exceeded expectations during his rookie season, as he set numerous records en route to a First-Team All-Pro selection.
However, he did not win the league's Offensive Rookie of the Year award last year. Instead, that honor went to Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, whom much of Raider Nation wanted to trade up for in the draft in the first place.
Brock Bowers lands ahead of Jayden Daniels in latest NFL rankings
There was much debate among fans about who deserved the award more last season, but the Associated Press voting committee overwhelmingly chose Daniels. Bowers edged out Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix for second place.
On Tuesday, however, The 33rd Team's Sam Monson dropped his rankings of the top 25 players in the NFL who are 25 years old or younger. Coming in at No. 4 was Bowers, ahead of Daniels at No. 5, proving that the Raiders' star tight end was robbed of the coveted honor last season.
In a league where quarterbacks reign supreme and are held with the utmost importance, a reputable source placing Bowers ahead of Daniels means something. This choice may shock some people, however, considering that Daniels led the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game as a rookie.
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Bowers caught 112 passes last season for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns, which is incredible in a vacuum. However, when one considers that he had a wildly subpar trio of quarterbacks feeding him the ball, and the offense was inept overall, this production becomes even more impressive.
This season, however, Bowers has a vastly improved quarterback in Geno Smith, a better play-caller with Chip Kelly, and a slew of young wideouts to help Jakobi Meyers on the outside. Ashton Jeanty is now in the backfield as well, so opponents finally have to respect the run game.
While Bowers may not have won the league's Offensive Rookie of the Year award in 2024, the tides seem to be shifting in terms of these two players' perceptions around the league. Perhaps this shortcoming will fuel Bowers, and he will continue to be an All-Pro player for the next decade.