georgia brock bowers bulldogs

Georgia playmaker Brock Bowers has made enough of a name for himself to gain some Heisman Trophy hype on the SEC Network on Saturday.

ESPN analyst Jordan Rodgers said Bowers is his “way-too-early” Heisman Trophy favorite after what he has seen and what Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator Todd Monken told him.

“Todd Monken described him as a halfback,” Rodgers said on the SEC Nation set. “He literally said he’s a halfback that has great ball skills. He’s unbelievable and a lot of times, the Heisman comes down to the best player on the best team.

BRANDON ADAMS: Brock Bowers finally getting the attention he deserves

“Right now, Georgia is the best team. Right now, Brock Bowers is the best player.”

Bowers, however, has only touched the ball 18 times through four games, as Coach Kirby Smart has looked to manage the roster and keep key players healthy.

MIKE GRIFFITH: How Stetson Bennett can win the Heisman Trophy in 2022

To be clear, Bowers has made the most of it, scoring touchdowns each of the three times he has run the ball and catching two touchdown passes on his 13 receptions this season.

Bowers may need to be more involved against Missouri in the 7:30 p.m. road game in Columbia, however, as A.D. Mitchell is expected to be a game-time decision, and Darnell Washington and Ladd McConkey have been playing at less than 100 percent.

Quarterback Stetson Bennett actually ranks among the Top 5 Heisman Trophy contenders, tied with Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker with 16-to-1 odds behind Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud (1.5-to-1), Alabama QB Bryce Young (3.5-to-1) and USC QB Caleb Williams (6-to-1).

Tim Tebow and Paul Finebaum chose Stroud as their Heisman leader, while Roman Harper said Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker was his early Heisman Trophy favorite.

WATCH: SEC Nation analysts debate early Heisman Trophy leaders

Rodgers said analysts have the confidence Bennett can lead the team to another championship, but there are other questions about No. 1-ranked Georgia.

“I think right now, we know that they have a championship-caliber quarterback, (and) I would argue that at this point last year, we didn’t know that, and even though the SEC Championship, we weren’t sure if Stetson Bennett could be the guy that they could depend on when they needed the passing attack to win a football game,” Rodgers said.

“This offense is built around Brock Bowers, it’s built around Stetson’s mobility, it’s a built around Stetson pushing the ball down the field. What we don’t know just yet at this point is can this defensive line take over a football game?”

Rodgers said Kirby Smart told him that because of the drop-off on the defensive line, the linebackers are having to take on more.

“Their job is more difficult,” Rodgers said. “Can that defensive line come along and help this Georgia defense be elite once again?”