How Brock Bowers' high ankle sprain injury impacts his Heisman Odds, NFL Draft stock

The Georgia Bulldogs are a top team but lost their biggest offensive weapon in tight end Brock Bowers, to an ankle injury. He suffered a high ankle sprain on his left ankle during Saturday's game against the Vanderbilt Commodores and will undergo surgery.

ESPN reports that Bowers will undergo TightRope surgery, which involves surgical threads instead of metal screws and typically helps recovery time. The typical timeline for this surgery is four to six weeks, and he will be the third Bulldogs player to have this surgery this season.

With a timeline of four to six weeks, Georgia may sit him until the postseason, as they have five games remaining in the regular season and their bye week this week.

What happens to Brock Bowers' Heisman Trophy odds?

Brock Bowers winning the Heisman Trophy was a lofty expectation for the fact that quarterbacks are going to win the award a majority of seasons. Bowers has played well as he has 41 catches for 567 yards (13.8 yards per reception) for four touchdown catches while running the ball six times for 28 yards (4.7 yards per carry) with a rushing touchdown.

Bowers has been one of the top skill position players in college football, and that makes it extremely difficult to win the Heisman Trophy to begin with. A tight end has never won the award, and a receiver has won it five times. However, if you had a ticket for him to win the Heisman Trophy this season, it essentially is now as valuable as a piece of tissue paper.

Does this injury affect Brock Bowers' NFL draft status or ranking?

Brock Bowers is going to be one of the top picks in the 2024 NFL draft and arguably is the second-best non-quarterback on the board after Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. Even with the high ankle sprain and surgery, this is not a long-term injury that will keep him sidelined for the remainder of the season.

NFL scouts and decision-makers are going to have the chance to see him play coming off the surgery in the SEC Championship Game and the College Football Playoff. Bowers already has put out enough tape to showcase his talents and should be able to dominate at the top level. The concern about his draft selection will not be due to the injury; it will likely be more of the Kyle Pitts comparison.