Antonio Pierce shares exciting prediction for dangerous new 1-2 combo on Raiders offense

The 2024 NFL Draft was full of twists and turns. One result of the Falcons picking Michael Penix Jr. at eighth overall was that none of the top six QBs was on the board for the Raiders at 13. As a result, the team was forced to make a choice and ultimately went with tight end Brock Bowers. Head coach reached out to second-year tight end Michael Mayer to let him know about the pick.

According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, Pierce did make sure to call Mayer, who was a second-round pick and the Raiders’ starting tight end last year, when the team selected Bowers.

“I said ‘Damn, this is going to be a great combination. Two young studs to grow up together within our organization that can help us win a lot of games,’” Pierce said.

Brock Bowers is an incredible pass-catching threat at tight end who boasts a rare combination of speed, acceleration, body control, and sticky hands. He can be a mismatch weapon day one in the NFL. Bowers instantly changes the Raiders’ offense so it is easy to understand why they chose to select him in the first round.

Michael Mayer is no slouch himself. He is what you imagine when you think of the perfect Y tight end. Mayer has an ideal frame at 6’4″ 249lbs and is a strength in both the passing game and as a run blocker. He’s the kind of all-around talent that merits an early second-round pick.

It is very easy to see how both Bowers and Mayer can coexist on offense. Beyond deploying traditional two tight end formations, Las Vegas has the flexibility to push Bowers into the slot as a big slot option while keeping Mayer in-line as a Y tight end.

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