The Las Vegas Raiders made what some considered a risky move by drafting tight end Brock Bowers with the 13th pick, but head coach Antonio Pierce noted his versatility and pointed to the Kansas City Chiefs in defense of the pick, per ESPN's Paul Gutierrez.
"This is different," Pierce said. "You're talking about [two] skill players who can catch the ball, who can come out the backfield, who can do a lot of different things for you, and you see it. Kansas City does it a lot with their tight ends."
Bowers was a standout at Georgia, collecting 714 receiving yards and six touchdowns despite dealing with injuries that sidelined him for multiple games. During the 2022 season, he had 942 yards and seven touchdowns—following up his 882-yard, 13-touchdown season in 2021.
While Bowers was always going to be a first-round draft pick, many criticized Las Vegas for taking him over a quarterback or players at more premium positions.
The risk of taking Bowers—one year after taking tight end Michael Mayer in the second round—and sticking with either Aidan O'Connell or new addition Gardner Minshew could pay off if Piece's plan works out how he thinks it will.
Having elite tight ends is crucial to great NFL teams, and Bowers knows that. Now, he's looking to make an impact in his rookie season.
"If you have two great tight ends, I think it's really hard to match that, personnel-wise, in order to defend against the pass and the run," Bowers said. "So, I mean, I think it makes it difficult for defensive personnel."
