2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Brock Bowers

Bowers didn't perform any athletic tests at the NFL Combine, electing to perform testing at his pro day. Georgia's pro day is scheduled for March 13, 2024. Once pro-day athletic testing is complete, Bowers' Relative Athletic Score will be available.

Background

Coming out of Napa High School in Napa, California, Brock Bowers was a four-star recruit and the No. 2 tight end prospect in the country, per 247Sports. Bowers held offers from LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, USC, and Washington before committing to Georgia.

In his three seasons at Georgia, Bowers played in 40 games (38 starts) and logged 175 receptions for 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns. He played a key role in the Bulldogs' back-to-back championship runs in 2021 and 2022. Additionally, he won the John Mackey Award in 2022 and 2023, given to the most outstanding tight end in College Football. In three years at Georgia, Bowers was named first-team All-SEC three times, first-team All-American twice, and second-team All-American once.

According to PFF, Bowers played in-line on 45% of snaps while playing out of the slot at a rate of 42% during his college career. Among 81 FBS tight ends with at least 30 targets in 2023, Bowers ranked second in overall PFF grade, sixth in receiving grade, and 27th in hands grade. He averaged 12.8 yards per catch (27th) and 2.65 yards per route run (second) with three drops on the season (5.1% drop rate; 36th best). In run blocking, his grade ranked 32nd among 131 qualifying tight ends with 200+ run-blocking snaps.

Strengths

• Extreme burst for a tight end with and without the football
• Long striding speed to be a weapon downfield
• Ball-carrier vision to gain yards after the catch and yards after first contact
• Fluid athlete with special movement abilities for his size
• High-motor player who plays with an extreme sense of urgency, even through injuries
• Tough to bring to the ground, fights for every inch
• Brings physicality as a blocker
• Made some circus catches in his career
• Versatility to be used in-line, in motion, or the slot
• Assignment-sound blocker, was asked to make blocks on the move often
• Just a football player, man

Weaknesses

• Too light to play in-line all the time
• Lacks the ideal power and mass to hold up stronger EDGE defenders
• Struggles to latch and sustain as a run-blocker
• Tends to narrow his base into contact
• Some tightness at the route stem makes him clunky through physical coverage
• Can effectively be sealed off from the middle portion of the field from good inside leverage press coverage (ankle injury?)
• Inconsistent at the catch point in contested catch situations
• Can be slow to get his head around and adjust to the football
• Only caught 2 of 9 contested catch opportunities in 2023 (caught 23 of 39 for his career, though)

Final Thoughts and Chicago Bears Fit for Brock Bowers

Bowers currently has a top-15 grade from our team. While he might be drafted in the top 10, using a top-10 pick on the tight end position is a tough sell, historically. As far as tight end prospects go, though, he's about as clean as they come.

Bowers combines rare explosiveness with an urgent and physical attitude to take over games. He was a focal point for the Georgia offense and was one of the premier pass catchers in the SEC over the last three seasons. Despite dealing with an ankle injury in 2023 that required tightrope surgery, Bowers only missed three games and returned earlier than anyone could've predicted. His production fell off after he returned, but he probably shouldn't have been on the field.

His floor is that of a starting tight end. It's hard to see a world where Bowers is not an impactful pass catcher at the NFL level. This player loves football, possesses rare athletic traits, and has produced against SEC defenses as a focal point in the Bulldogs offense. However, his size opens the question of whether he can play full-time as an in-line tight end.

Bowers' ceiling is that of an All-Pro football player. To reach his ceiling, he must improve his latch and drive abilities as a run blocker, find better answers for beating more physical coverage out of the slot, and become more technically sound with his hands and feet as a blocker. The blocking critique is boring, but if he can't stay on the field for running downs, it'll be hard for him to see consistent snaps on passing downs. Given his play demeanor, I have no concerns about his desire to become a better blocker.

Bowers should be in play for the Chicago Bears at No. 9 overall, or even in a trade-down scenario. The Bears' new offensive coordinator, Shane Waldron, loves to use two and three tight end sets. Bowers' alignment flexibility to play all over the formation would be exciting in Waldron's scheme. However, I wonder how interested the Bears are in adding a tight end this early after signing Cole Kmet to a contract extension.

While you could look at Bowers as a slot wide receiver, I struggle to see it that way. Because even if he runs a 4.5 forty-yard dash, which would be excellent for a tight end, he's still a slow slot receiver. He'd provide more value than an average slot receiver due to his contested catch ability, but I prefer to call a spade a spade. If the Bears select Bowers, they should look at him as a tight end who can play in the slot, not as a slot weapon who can play tight end. The addition would excite me, but I would wonder if they should've attacked a more impactful position.

NFL Comparison - Ceiling: George Kittle
NFL Comparison - Most Likely: David Njoku