Brock Bowers has been Kirby Smart's main man at tight end for the past two seasons. His contributions aided the Georgia Bulldogs in their consecutive national championship runs. But the 20-year-old may be set to play his last season at Georgia. By several accounts, he's being projected to be an early pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
A couple of years after Kyle Pitts got drafted as the No. 4 pick, Bowers is being touted to be the next "highest tight end ever drafted." Bowers was highly rated as a prospect and was sought by many colleges. He eventually committed to Georgia because of his relationship with Todd Hartley, the Bulldogs' tight ends coach.
Brock Bowers' Georgia career in a nutshell
Brock Bowers' impact was immediate. He was expected to compete for playing time with Darnell Washington and Arik Gilbert in tight end. But Washington's broken foot and Gilbert's withdrawal from the team meant he became Smart's primary option in his position.
At 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, Bower became a terror to defenses in the Southeastern Conference, balancing his offensive prowess with his blocking ability.
At the end of his freshman season, he had amassed 56 receptions, 882 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also had four rushing attempts for 56 yards and a TD. He was named SEC Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the All-SEC first team and All-American second team.
His position as Georgia's tight end had been solidified by his sophomore season. He had another amazing season which convinced any doubter that his first season was not a fluke.
He concluded his second season with 63 receptions for 942 yards and seven touchdowns. His rushing statistics were also better than what he managed in his freshman season: nine rushes for 109 yards and three touchdowns. He made first-team All-American and first-team All-SEC and bagged the John Mackey Award reserved for the best tight end in the country.
Brock Bowers would be the delight of any NFL team, and hardly any coach would pass the chance to have his talent on their roster.
However, he could decide to return for another year of college football after this season and thus postpone his NFL draft. In the unlikely case that happens, fans will have to wait another year until 2025 to see where Bowers ends up in the pros.
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