Raiders most pleasant surprises through the first two weeks in 2024

2. Brock Bowers

When the Raiders took Brock Bowers with the No. 13 overall pick this past April, some felt that while he is certainly a talented tight end, it was not a position group they should have addressed on Day 1. If you remember, Las Vegas traded up for Michael Mayer in the previous draft, and when both Mayer and Bowers were in college, they were seen as the two best players at the position in the country.

Throughout the first two weeks, it is clear that Bowers was the right choice, and could be a guy that is in the Silver and Black for a very long time. Bowers has shown himself to be a legitimate option in the passing game, and his arrival has helped take the pressure off of the Raiders speed wide receivers on the outside.

The Raiders have missed on so many first-round draft picks in recent years, so the production from Bowers has been a pleasant surprise this season. We knew that he was going to be a solid player at the NFL level, but he has come into the league and established himself early as a top-five pass-catching option at the position.

It is early in his career, and we will see if Bowers can stay healthy throughout the Raiders 17-game slate in his rookie season. One thing is for sure, he has been almost better than advertised, and his rapport with Gardner Minshew II is very clear after the first two games of the year.