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NFL Players Name League's No. 1 Tight End - It's Not Travis Kelce

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 10:44 AM ET

The NFL has continued to release its annual "Top 100" players list heading into the 2025 season and this week they revealed the No. 1 tight end in the league. While Taylor Swift fans may be upset, other fans will probably rejoice as Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce did NOT get that top spot.

Per Ari Meirov of The 33rd NFL Team, Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers emerged as the top tight end of the 2025 voting. Bowers was ranked as the No. 24 player in the entire league following his sensational 2024 season.

As a rookie in 2024, Bowers was not only the best tight end in the league, he was one of the best overall pass catchers in the league. He finished the season with 112 receptions for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns, setting multiple records for a rookie at his position.

For his efforts, Bowers received Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro honors and even finished second in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting. Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels took the award, but in any year without an elite rookie QB, Bowers might've won the whole thing.

Unfortunately, Bowers was a lone bright spot on a Raiders team that simply couldn't hack it in 2024. The team went just 4-13, ranking in the bottom 10 on both offense and defense and endured a brutal 10-game losing streak that ran from October 6 all the way to December 16.

#Raiders TE Brock Bowers was voted the 24th-best player in the NFL — and the No. 1 TE in football — in the NFL’s Top 100 list. pic.twitter.com/7GUV4efEBO
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 21, 2025

The bright side

In the ensuing offseason, the team made a number of changes that have been widely praised throughout the league. Head coach Antonio Pierce was fired after just one year in ch arge but replaced by former Super Bowl champion Pete Carroll.

At quarterback, the revolving door of Gardner Minshew, Aidan O'Connell and Desmond Ridder ended with the signing of Pro Bowl quarterback Geno Smith. Over the past three seasons with the Seahawks, Smith has completed over 68-percent of his passes for over 12,000 yards and 71 touchdowns against 35 interceptions.

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - SEPTEMBER 15: Brock Bowers #89 of the Las Vegas Raiders reacts during the first half against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on September 15, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)Patrick Smith/Getty Images

What it means for Bowers

If Bowers was able to put up those kinds of incredible numbers with a combination of backups and fringe players throwing him the ball, it's easy to imagine an even more sensational season with a more refined passer like Smith.

That said, the Raiders will need more than just a great QB-TE combination to make noise in the NFL this year. They've made the playoffs only twice in the last 23 years and have not won a playoff game since the 2002-03 AFC Championship Game.

And in a division that already has three playoff teams and the three-time defending AFC Champion, that's a longer ladder to climb than most.

Can the Raiders improve on their win total from last year?

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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