Why Brock Bowers could be much more explosive for the Raiders than he was in college

The Raiders selected Georgia tight end Brock Bowers with the 13th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 draft because Bowers was a major force for one of the NCAA’s best offenses over the last three seasons. And in conjunction with 2023 second-round pick Michael Mayer from Notre Dame, the Raiders and new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy has the potential for one of the NFL’s better 12 personnel passing games.

Here’s the thing — as great as Bowers was in college, and some have called him a “generational” prospect — he wasn’t utilized as a downfield weapon. Not nearly enough. Per Pro Football Focus, Bowers had just nine targets last season on passes of 20 or more air yards, catching three for 98 yards and a touchdown.

The deep pass wasn’t a prominent part of Georgia’s passing game last season; Carson Beck attempted just 54 passes of 20 or more air yards last season, which ranked 43rd in the NCAA. Beck completed 22 of those passes for 729 yards, five touchdowns, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 103.5.

So, seeing Bowers as an explosive weapon in an NFL passing game requires a bit of projection. Fortunately, it’s pretty easy to do when you see the few times Bowers was able to stretch the field when he was allowed.

Tight ends are expected to win against Cover-3 with these kinds of seam openings, and against Auburn in Week 5 last season, Bowers did just that.

“Brock’s a unique guy,” Getsy said in May. “I think it’s been said here plenty of times, he was probably the best player in the SEC for some time, and he won a bunch of games. Anytime you can bring that type of caliber player into your organization, you’re going to get better.

“And then you match him and you pair him with the talent that we already have here, I think that just makes you more dynamic.”

Now, imagine Gardner Minshew throwing Bowers the ball on third down. The Raiders’ new proposed starting quarterback isn’t anyone’s idea of a top-five quarterback in the NFL, but Minshew can sling it deep. Last season for the Colts as Anthony Richardson’s injury replacement, Minshew attempted 20 deep passes on 51 targets for 715 yards, three touchdowns, three interceptions, and a passer rating of 81.9.

Overall, Minshew was good for 32 explosive passes, and this example of throwing receiver Alec Pierce open against those very Raiders in Week 17 shows another way to beat vulnerable coverage with the right kind of deep-third concept.

And if it’s Aidan O’Connell throwing the ball for the Raiders, it’s good to remember that O’Connell had five touchdown passes on deep throws in his rookie season of 2023.

So, don’t be surprised if Brock Bowers, as great as he was in college, brings some heretofore unseen ability as a downfield weapon. And wouldn’t that be a huge get for the Raiders’ new offense?