ATHENS — Just about every draft analyst sees Brock Bowers as one of the top prospects in this year’s NFL draft. He can do it all, just as he so frequently did during his time at Georgia.
But many prominent analysts also agree that Bowers isn’t likely to be a top-10 pick, through no fault of his own.
NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah had Bowers landing with the Cincinnati Bengals at pick No. 18.
“File this under fits that I selfishly want to see happen,” Jeremiah wrote. “It’s highly unlikely Bowers falls this far in Round 1, but let’s just pause and dream for a moment about seeing him joining forces with Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase.”
With so many high-end talents at quarterback, wide receiver and offensive tackle, Bowers is slipping down draft boards due to the fact that he doesn’t play a premium position.
“I love Brock Bowers but when you sit there and do a mock draft, it is very hard to find a spot for a tight end,” ESPN’s Matt Miller said in a conference call. “Every time I do a mock draft exercise, he’s coming off the board at like 13, 14,15 because those teams in the top 10 have so many needs, they’re most likely going to go big positional value. Quarterback, left tackle, wide receiver, corner, those are the top 10 picks this year.
“So for a play like Bowers, despite the fact that he might be one of the five most talented players in the draft, he tends to slip a little bit in the mock drafts.”
Bowers caught 56 passes for 714 yards and 6 touchdowns last season, despite missing four games with ankle injuries. That Bowers was able to return from said injuries during the season helps alleviate any concerns about the injury impacting his draft stock.
With the NFL combine taking place in Indianapolis next week, Bowers is expected to be one of the stars of the combine. It will allow him to showcase his athleticism and answer any questions teams might have about him.
A strong performance may not be enough to convince a team to take Bowers in the top 5, but it should help keep Bowers from slipping down draft boards.
Miller added that with a run on wide receivers and quarterbacks, a talented team could be able to scoop up Bowers and get an instant impact player.
“You’ve got a team that is going to look at best player available, regardless of position, that’s Brock Bowers,” Miller said. “We’re going to go ahead and draft him and know we’ve got a chance to get a Pro Bowl player.”
Miller had Bowers landing with the New Orleans Saints with pick No. 14 in his most recent mock draft. The Indianapolis Colts at pick No. 15 are also a team that has been mentioned.
Bowers will work out on Friday, March 1 at the NFL combine. The first round of the NFL draft is set for April 25. Georgia has had a tight end taken in each of the previous five NFL drafts and Bowers is almost certainly a lock to make it six.