.jpg) Bowers atGeorgia's championship parade in 2022 | |||||||||
| No. 89 –Las Vegas Raiders | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Tight end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (2002-12-13)December 13, 2002 (age 22) Napa, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Napa (Napa) | ||||||||
| College: | Georgia (2021–2023) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2024: 1st round, 13th pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 18, 2024 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Brock Allen Bowers (born December 13, 2002) is an American professionalfootballtight end for theLas Vegas Raiders of theNational Football League (NFL). Bowers playedcollege football for theGeorgia Bulldogs, where he was a three-timeAll-American, two-timeJohn Mackey Award winner, and won twonational championships. He was selected by the Raiders in the first round of the2024 NFL draft, setting rookie season records for receptions in a season and the most receiving yards by a tight end, earningPro Bowl andAll-Pro honors in the process.
Bowers was born on December 13, 2002, inNapa, California.[1][2][3] His parents met atUtah State University, where his mother was an All-Americansoftball player who was later inducted into the schools athletic Hall of Fame and his father was an All-Big Westcenter on theschool's football team.[4][5] After graduating, his mother became a high school math teacher and softball coach, while his father founded a construction company.[4][6][5] His sister plays softball atSacramento State.[7] Growing up Bowers played a variety of sports includingfootball,basketball,baseball andsoccer.[1]
Bowers attendedNapa High School inNapa, California, where he played football and basketball.[8] As a freshman he playedquarterback for the school'sjunior varsity team, running thetriple option.[1] Bowers joined the varsity team as a sophomore, playingtight end andlinebacker, and received his first college offer fromNevada.[1] Following his sophomore season, he attended a Nike camp where his athleticism gained the attention of college scouts and led to him receiving about a dozen offers.[1][8] As a junior, Bowers accounted for 1,499 all-purpose yards and set a school record with 14 touchdown receptions, helping lead Napa to the state playoffs just one year after the team finished 0–10.[5][9] For his efforts he was named theNapa County Player of the Year.[10] Bowers entered his senior season as a preseason All-American but the season was canceled due toCOVID-19 restrictions in California.[11][7][1] Unable to play or train due to restrictions, he stayed in shape by running up and down the hills of Napa.[8] Despite not playing as a senior, he would still be named to theAll-American Bowl.[12]
Bowers was a highly sought-after prospect, deemed a four-starrecruit and the second-ranked tight end of his class by247Sports, although some programs such asNotre Dame would recruit him as a linebacker.[13][7] Despite being from theWest Coast, Bowers wanted to playcollege football in theSouth due to the region's passion for the sport, later stating “It is a little different (in the South) — people just care a lot more about football, it’s like a religion out here."[5][7] He ultimately committed to play college football at theUniversity of Georgia underKirby Smart, citing his relationship with the team's tight ends coachTodd Hartley and a desire to play as a freshman as additional factors in his commitment.[14][11][1]
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40‡ | Commit date[15][16][13] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brock Bowers TE | Napa, California | Napa High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | N/A | Aug 10, 2020 |
Star ratings:Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 83 | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals:8 (TE) 247Sports:2 (TE) ESPN:4 (TE) | ||||||
Sources:
| ||||||
An early enrollee, Bowers arrived at Georgia in January 2021.[17] As atrue freshman, he was originally set to share playing time with fellow tights endsDarnell Washington andArik Gilbert.[1] However, Washington broke his foot and Gilbert stepped away from the team for personal reasons, leaving Bowers as the team's primary option at tight end.[1] In his first career game, Bowers led the Bulldogs in receiving with six catches for 43 yards in a 10–3 win overClemson.[18][19] The following week againstUAB, he caught his first two touchdowns, including a career-long 89-yard reception, and recorded his first 100-yard performance in a 56–7 win.[20] Two weeks later againstVanderbilt, Bowers caught two touchdowns and rushed for another en route to ablowout victory.[21] On October 16, he had another 100-yard performance, catching five passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns in a 30–13 defeat ofKentucky.[22] Bowers had additional multi-touchdown performances againstCharleston Southern and rivalGeorgia Tech.[23][24] In theSEC Championship Game againstAlabama, Bowers caught 10 passes (the most by a tight end in SEC Championship history) for a then career-high 139 yards and a touchdown in the Bulldogs 41–24 loss, their first of the season.[25] Despite the loss to Alabama, Georgia qualified for theCollege Football Playoff as the third seed.[26] In theOrange Bowl semifinal againstMichigan, Bowers made five receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown in a 34–11 win, sending Georgia to the national championship game.[27][28] In thechampionship game, Georgia faced off against Alabama, who had handed the Bulldogs their lone loss of the season a month prior.[28] Bowers caught four passes in the game, including a crucial touchdown with just over three minutes remaining which extended the Bulldogs' lead to eight points.[29] Georgia defeated Alabama 33–18, capturing their first national championship since1980.[29]
At the conclusion of his freshman season, Bowers was namedSEC Freshman of the Year and was included on theAll-SEC first team andAll-American second team.[30][31] He finished the season as Georgia's leading receiver with 56 receptions for 882 yards and aprogram record 13 receiving touchdowns.[32][33][34] He also had 56 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.[33]
Following his strong freshman season, Bowers entered the 2022 season with high expectations, and was named a preseason All-American.[35] In the Bulldogs season opener againstOregon, he had two receptions for 38 yards in a 49–3 victory.[33] Two weeks later, againstSouth Carolina, Bowers caught five passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for another touchdown in a 48–7 win.[36] The following week againstKent State, he would have the best game of his career on the ground, rushing for 77 yards and two touchdowns in a 39–22 victory.[37][38] In the Bulldogs victory overFlorida, Bowers recorded a career-high 154 receiving yards on five receptions, including an improbable 73-yard touchdown catch off of a deflection which some media outlets dubbed the "catch of the season".[39][40] Following a victory overLSU in the SEC Championship, the undefeated Bulldogs advanced to the College Football Playoff as the no. 1 seed.[41] In thePeach Bowl semi-final againstOhio State, Bowers caught four passes for 64 yards, including a crucialfourth down conversion in the final quarter to extend an eventual touchdown drive.[42][33] Georgia would defeat Ohio State 42–41 to advance to the national championship.[43] In thechampionship game, he caught a season-high seven passes for 152 yards and a touchdown on his final catch of the year to help Georgia capture their second consecutive national championship in a 65–7 blowout of TCU, the largest margin of victory in championship history.[44][45]
At the conclusion of his sophomore season, Bowers was named a first teamAll-American and won theJohn Mackey Award for the nation's best tight end.[46][47] He once again finished the season as Georgia's leading receiver with 63 receptions for 942 yards and seven touchdowns as well as 109 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.[33][48]
Bowers won the John Mackey Award again in 2023, making him the only two-time winner for that award.[49] He won the award despite missing three games in 2023 due to an ankle injury.[50] He still led Georgia in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns, something he accomplished in all three of his seasons at UGA.[51] In 10 games, Bowers caught 56 passes for 714 yards and six touchdowns.[52] Bowers declared for the2024 NFL draft following the 2023 season.[53] A three-time All-American, he has been cited as among the greatest tight ends in college football history.[54][55][56][57]
| Georgia Bulldogs | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Games | Receiving | Rushing | |||||||
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | |
| 2021 | 15 | 13 | 56 | 882 | 15.8 | 13 | 4 | 56 | 14.0 | 1 |
| 2022 | 15 | 15 | 63 | 942 | 15.0 | 7 | 9 | 109 | 12.1 | 3 |
| 2023 | 10 | 10 | 56 | 714 | 12.8 | 6 | 6 | 28 | 4.7 | 1 |
| Career | 40 | 38 | 175 | 2,538 | 14.5 | 26 | 19 | 193 | 10.2 | 5 |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft3+1⁄8 in (1.91 m) | 243 lb (110 kg) | 32+3⁄4 in (0.83 m) | 9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) | |||||||||
| All values fromNFL Combine[58][59] | ||||||||||||
Bowers was selected by theLas Vegas Raiders in the first round with the 13th overall pick in the2024 NFL draft.[60] On May 9, 2024, Bowers signed a four-year fully-guaranteed contract worth $18.1 million.[61] In his NFL debut, he had six receptions for 58 yards in a 10–22 loss to theLos Angeles Chargers in Week 1.[62] In a Week 2, 26–23 win over theBaltimore Ravens, Bowers had nine receptions for 98 yards.[63] In Week 5, Bowers caught a 57-yard pass for his first NFL touchdown as a part of an eight reception, 97 yard game during an 18–34 loss to theDenver Broncos.[64] In Week 10, he had 13 receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown in the 34–19 loss to the Miami Dolphins.[65] In Week 12, he had ten receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown in the 19–17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.[66]
Bowers played all 17 games through the2024 season and led the team in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns, finishing with 112 catches for 1,194 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns.[67][68] His receptions and receiving yards were the highest among all tight ends in the league that season, veterans included.[69] Bowers was named First-teamAll-Pro, earnedPro Bowl honors, and set numerousrecords with his rookie performance.[70][71] Bowers broke an all-time record for most receiving yards by a rookie tight end, set more than half a century ago byMike Ditka (1,076 yards) in 1961. He broke a league record for the most receptions in a season by a rookie (of any position), set the prior year by wide receiverPuka Nacua (105 catches).[72][73][74] He also set a franchise record for the most receptions in a season by a Raider, beating out the 107 catches made byDarren Waller in2020.[75]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| NFL Record (for rookies) | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2024 | LV | 17 | 16 | 112 | 1,194 | 10.7 | 57 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 2.6 | 12 | 0 |
| Career | 17 | 16 | 112 | 1,194 | 10.7 | 57 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 2.6 | 12 | 0 | |
