Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers finished second in Offensive Rookie of the Year Award voting after the 13th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft was even better than advertised during his debut pro season.
Following Tuesday's training camp practice, Bowers spoke with Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated about what the 22-year-old wants to achieve during the upcoming campaign.
"Looking back on it, I was like, 'I can’t believe that was really my first year in the NFL,'" Bowers explained. "It kind of just flew by, but I’m pretty focused on next year and seeing if we can have a better team this year. I just want to win more games this year. …It definitely was a little tough, especially that middle part of the year. It was definitely a grind. I know it happens. It happened to me in high school. It was tough, though, for sure."
ESPN stats show that Bowers finished this past season ranked third in the NFL with 112 receptions, sixth with 153 targets and tied for eighth with 1,194 receiving yards. Over 17 games, he tallied five touchdown catches.
Despite Bowers' production, the 2024 Raiders endured a 10-game losing streak as they ultimately went from 2-2 to 4-13. That said, NFL writers such as Mike Jones of The Athletic have referred to the Raiders as big winners of the offseason after they hired Pete Carroll as their new head coach.
The Carroll regime now has former college/NFL head coach Chip Kelly as its offensive coordinator, and it acquired quarterback Geno Smith from the Seattle Seahawks before it made promising running back Ashton Jeanty the sixth overall pick of this year's draft.
Bowers added that he likes that the Raiders "can move me wherever they want" in the offense. Kelly expanded on that take.
"You obviously know he can go deep, he can catch shallow routes," Kelly said about Bowers. "I learned over the summer time, he can hit grand slams. So you learn more about the player every single time you’re around him. So if for some reason it turns into a home run derby, and we’re playing anybody in the NFL, I’ll take Brock."
As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Raiders at +330 betting odds to make the playoffs this season. Bowers and Co. will look to make a statement when Las Vegas opens the campaign with a matchup at the New England Patriots on Sept. 7.
