‘The sky is the limit’: Raiders rookie off to record-setting pace

Brock Bowers was thought of as far from a sure thing when he showed up at the University of Georgia.

COVID-19 wiped out the tight end’s senior season at Napa High School, costing him valuable development time. It also meant the Bulldogs had no way of tracking the progress of a recruit from a region known for great wines, not great football players.

“We were really going on a gut feel with this kid,” Georgia associate head coach and tight ends coach Todd Hartley said.

That meant interest was high when the quiet kid from Northern California took the field with the Bulldogs for the first time in January 2021 for winter workouts. Onlookers were curious as to whether Bowers had what it took to hang with some of the best football players in the country, or whether he would crumble at the first sight of SEC competition.

What happened next was a harbinger. Bowers made it more than clear he belonged. He showed he could be one of the best players on one of the most talented teams in the country.

“You could see this kid was special just from that first workout,” Hartley said. “As a true freshman amongst his peers and, like, there’s some pretty good players at Georgia. And this guy is standing out as soon as he steps foot on campus.”

Bowers, now 21, didn’t let up. That’s why the Raiders selected him in the first round of April’s draft. That’s why, just two games into his NFL career, he’s off to a record-setting start.

“I thought he was the best player in the draft,” Hartley said, “just because there was nobody that was going to outwork this kid. He wasn’t going to be distracted by money. He wasn’t going to be distracted by fame. He wasn’t going to be distracted by any outside source that can really affect these kids, even on that level. None of that was going to be an issue.”

Early impressions

Bowers’ jaw-dropping performance that first day of winter workouts at Georgia wasn’t just due to his ability to grab passes and gain yards after the catch.

What also made an impression was his determination to be the best, even among all the four- and five-star recruits on the Bulldogs’ roster.

“This dude was winning every sprint,” Hartley said. “The fastest dude out there, the hardest worker. And we’re like, ‘Oh, my God.’ I mean, we knew he was fast, but we didn’t know he was fast-fast, or had a work ethic like this.”

Bowers’ commitment set a standard during his time at Georgia. The level of dedication he inspired became the foundation of the Bulldogs’ back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022, the program’s first national titles since 1980.

He led by example as well with incredible performances on the field. Bowers won the John Mackey Award for the best tight end in college football back-to-back seasons in 2022 and 2023, becoming the first player to win the trophy twice since its inception in 2000.

He finished his collegiate career with 175 catches for 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns. Those numbers rank third, fifth and second in program history, respectively, despite Bowers sharing the leaderboard with wide receivers.

Those impressive stats still won’t be what he is remembered for most in Athens, Georgia.

“Brock Bowers was the best thing to happen to us,” Hartley said. “Not just because he had a million catches and won two Mackey Awards. But because he set a standard for work. And from the very beginning, (other players) saw that kid and said, ‘If I’m going to see the field, I got to step my game up.’ ”

Rinse and repeat

Raiders coach Antonio Pierce didn’t have to dig too deep to recall the moment he felt the 13th overall pick in this year’s draft could be special.

“The day he walked in the door,” Pierce said.

It was a bit of a surprise that the Raiders selected Bowers given they invested a second-round pick in Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer in 2023. The team had needs at offensive line and cornerback to address.

But the Raiders believed Bowers had a chance to be an elite weapon. They didn’t want to pass that up.

“We knew we were getting a blue-chipper,” Pierce said. “I mean, he did it day one at Georgia when he walked on campus. And he did it each and every game, each and every year. And he got here in rookie minicamp, and he got pads on at training camp, and it was like, ‘All right.’ ”

Then the games started. And Bowers did what he’s been doing since he showed up at Georgia.

His 15 receptions and 154 receiving yards through two games for the Raiders are both NFL records for a rookie tight end. He caught nine passes for 98 yards in the team’s upset win over the Ravens on Sept. 15, showing he’s just as capable of taking over games in the pros as he was in college.

“He wins in man, has a feel for zone and has some catch-and-run juice to him,” Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew said. “I was excited to see how much juice he had with some of his first-down catches. Getting up, being fired up. That was awesome to see.”

Or, as wide receiver Davante Adams put it: “He’s a matchup nightmare for a linebacker, most safeties, and I think he could win on a lot of corners as well. So when you got that type of size and you can run block and fit in the whole scheme, you’ll be playing a lot of plays in the league.”

Quiet confidence

The only part of NFL life Bowers doesn’t look adjusted to is the attention.

He appeared almost surprised when he saw a throng of reporters at his locker at the Raiders’ Henderson headquarters Wednesday.

“You didn’t think you could have a game like you did on Sunday and not think we’d be here to talk to you, right?” Bowers was asked.

“I guess not,” he said, smiling.

Bowers’ shyness is already well-established within the Raiders’ locker room. Teammates that have been blown away by his speed and talent are just as taken aback by his demeanor. Bowers is all football, all the time. Sometimes he plays video games when he gets home at night. But he’s just as likely to study his playbook instead.

Adams said the Raiders are still trying to break the ice with him.

“We’re still skating,” Adams said. “I don’t know if it’s ever been fully broken.”

Adams doesn’t mind, of course. He appreciated how serious Bowers is about his craft.

“You can tell when somebody’s trying to make friends and they’re about business. That’s fine, too,” Adams said. “But you can’t just be trying to make friends and not be about your work and not be locked in. We never had to worry about that with him. So you get both sides of it, but for the most part I’d much rather a guy come in and be quiet and locked in the way he is.”

What’s next?

Bowers received a huge compliment this past week.

Rob Gronkowski, a four-time All-Pro tight end and four-time Super Bowl champion, said on the show “Up & Adams” that he believes Bowers can surpass him as a pass catcher.

Gronkowski wasn’t the only one singing Bowers’ praises after his impressive performance against the Ravens. Which means there’s no doubt he’s going to become an even bigger focus for opposing defensive coordinators.

“Now it’s out there,” Pierce said. “And there’s no hiding it.”

Of course, there was no hiding it in the SEC, either. Bowers still ripped that league apart. Giants coach Brian Daboll said on the show “Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants” that former Alabama coach Nick Saban told him there were two players in the 2024 draft the Crimson Tide had problems stopping: Bowers and LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers.

NFL teams are having the same issues so far because, as Adams said, Bowers just “doesn’t have many weaknesses.”

“The sky is the limit,” Pierce said.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.