2024 Dynasty Rookie Early Look: Brock Bowers, TE Georgia
Fantasy managers experienced a much-needed resurgence at the tight end position in 2023. Six tight ends scored over 200 PPR points this season after only two tight ends eclipsed 200 PPR points in both 2021 and 2022. The elite tight end or bust strategy has dominated fantasy football since Tony Gonzalez was in his prime. Commissioners have gone as far as adding tight-end premium scoring or two tight end leagues to make the position relevant. Some commissioners have even eliminated the tight end requirement in starting lineups to try and balance leagues with Travis Kelce or Mark Andrews dominating the competition. Regardless, dynasty managers can no longer overlook the position with the influx of talent at tight end. Dynasty squads are falling behind their competition if their tight ends continue to put up single-digit PPR points each week.
If you missed the boat at tight end last season, luckily incoming rookie Brock Bowers is one of the most exciting TE prospects to enter the NFL in recent memory.
Recruitment
Most four and five-star recruits arrive on the college football recruiting circuit with a significant amount of publicity and fanfare. This wasn’t the case for Bowers whose Nappa, CA high school team went 1-9 the season before his fabled Nike SPARQ Camp performance.
Ahead of the Nike SPARQ Camp, event officials rejected Brock’s attempt to participate in the competition. It took his seven-on-seven coach pleading with camp directors to allow him to participate in the prestigious combine-esque event. The 6-4, 205-pound tight end had never run an official 40-yard dash and had only one Division I scholarship offer before running two 4.50-sec 40-yard dashes. Bowers’ raw speed combined with a 40-inch vertical jump landed him 20+ scholarship offers ahead of his junior season.
Bowers finished his junior season with 61 touches, 1,414 yards, and 17 touchdowns. COVID-19 essentially canceled his senior season. He ended up as a four-star recruit and the number two tight end in the country per 247 Sports by the time he committed to Georgia in January of 2021.
Collegiate Career
Stats Courtesy of Sports Reference.
Bowers exploded onto the scene for the Georgia Bulldogs. Five-star sophomore Darnell Washington missed the first month with a broken foot and last season’s starter Tre’ McKitty left for the NFL. In his first collegiate game, Bowers led Georgia with six receptions and 43 yards receiving. He never looked back, and as an 18-year-old true freshman, he totaled 56 receptions for 882 yards and 13 touchdowns. Bowers led the Bulldogs in each of these categories. He earned an astronomical 23.8 percent share of the team’s receiving yards and 32.4 percent of Geogia’s receiving touchdowns on a 17.4 percent target share. He capped off a historic freshman season helping UGA win the National Championship.
He followed up his historic first season by surpassing his marks in both receptions and receiving yards. Bowers impressed with 19.3 percent of the team’s receiving yards and 22.2 percent of their touchdowns. His storybook season ended with seven receptions for 152 yards and a touchdown against TCU in the National Championship game to secure back-to-back titles for the first time in school history.
Bowers returned for his junior season and was coming off three consecutive games with at least seven catches, 120 receiving yards, and a touchdown before sustaining a severe high ankle sprain against Vanderbilt. The injury required tight-rope surgery and Brock missed the next six games. He was able to work his way back onto the field and averaged five receptions for 49 yards.
Strengths
- Speed: @RAanalytics estimated his fastest speed at 21.9 mph in his second collegiate game.
- Excellent hands and catching ability. Excels at high-pointing the ball and catching it away from his body.
- Quickly accelerates to top speed and is very powerful with the ball in his hands which led to an impressive 8.5 yards after the catch per reception according to PFF.
- Dynamic: Played 52.2 percent of his snaps in the slot, 36.6 percent inline, and 9.5 percent out wide per PFF. Bowers also had 19 career rush attempts for 193 yards and five touchdowns.
Weaknesses
- Size: At 6’4” and 240 pounds, he’s closer to an Aaron Hernandez or Trey McBride body type rather than the traditional Rob Gronkowski or Travis Kelce build.
- A lot of his production came out of the slot and versus zone coverage. Could use more polish when facing man coverage.
Draft Value
Courtesy of Mock Draft Database.
Bowers’ college production in the SEC and athleticism have him as the first tight end off the board in the NFL Draft this April. He’s been a top-ten pick per Mock Draft Database for the entirety of the 2023 college football season, consistently going off the board as the fifth or sixth pick overall.
With three quarterbacks likely going in the top five, two elite wide receivers, and plenty of tackle depth Bowers could fall out of the top ten. However, the NFL Draft Community finds such a fall highly unlikely.
Dynasty Outlook
Courtesy of DLF Dynasty Superflex Rookie Rankings.
While there are always surprises at the NFL Combine and the NFL Draft, the top five players in superflex rookie drafts appear to be set. The order of the top five will vary from league to league but it’s hard to see these players falling out of the top five.
DLF rankers are fairly split at 1.06 between Brock Bowers and Rome Odunze, with Odunze narrowly edging out Bowers. Landing spots and league settings will most likely end up making this decision in most dynasty rookie drafts this May.
Ultimately, dynasty managers will have an interesting choice in their rookie drafts but undoubtedly the tight end landscape has shifted heading into 2024. Tight ends will prove to be a crucial decision point for managers looking to compete for titles next season. This makes Brock Bowers a tantalizing option in the middle of superflex rookie drafts.
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- 2024 Dynasty Rookie Early Look: Keon Coleman, WR Florida State - February 2, 2024
- 2024 Dynasty Rookie Early Look: Brock Bowers, TE Georgia - January 28, 2024
- 2023 Dynasty Rookie Post-Draft Update: Sam LaPorta - June 17, 2023
