The hoopla, hysteria and general hype around the NFL Draft is unrivaled. Thursday’s first round will be filled with the usual pomp and circumstance with stylish suits, neck-draped flashy bling, main-stage struts, Roger Goodell bro hugs and lifelong dreams realized. However, selfish gamers only care about one thing — Where does the rookie rank in the fantasy pecking order? Here’s instant analysis of Bowers in the Raiders offense.
No. 13 overall pick — Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders
The former Georgia Bulldog tight end is about to earn all the Snausages. He owns the necessary tools to land bruising punches whether as a blocker and, most importantly for fantasy purposes, as a receiver.
A winner in high-traffic situations, Bowers was a supreme producer on contested catches. Most impressively, he displayed considerable shimmy and shake after the catch, ranking No. 2 among all college tight ends last season in missed tackles forced (17). With his route versatility, he should boom at a position historically not known to crank out highly impactful rookies.
Similar to Sam LaPorta last year, Bowers is seemingly destined to emerge as a top-five value among TEs. He will further bury the idea that a first-year tight end can’t flourish in fantasy.