Film room: Just get the ball in Brock Bowers’ hands

Raiders No. 1 pick is a YAC machine!

With six quarterbacks taken within the first 12 picks of the NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders shocked the football world by using the 13th overall selection on Georgia tight end Brock Bowers. While the Raiders could have used some help under center or at another position, Bowers was the best player available as he’s a dynamic weapon with the ball in his hands.

Of the former Bulldog’s 2,541 career receiving yards in college, 1,487 came after the catch and he averaged 8.5 YAC per reception, according to Pro Football Focus. In other words, he nearly picked up a first down just about every time he caught a pass.

Diving a little deeper and specifically looking at last season, Bowers led all FBS tight ends with 486 yards after the catch and had 80 more than anyone else at the position despite only playing in 10 games. Every other tight end in the top 30 played in at least 11 games, and he ranked seventh in efficiency with 8.7 YAC per reception.

That’s what really stands out about the Napa, California native’s tape, so let’s dive in and see what he can do with the ball in his hands.

This first play is a nice play design by Georgia as they’re essentially running a screen with the slot receiver working inside to crack block the linebacker who is in man coverage against the tight end. That creates an easy throw for the quarterback and that’s when Bowers’ skill set can take over.

He initially gets contacted about five yards away from the first down marker but something that stands out about his game is that he refuses to go down easily. Bowers keeps his feet moving through contact and with a defender on his back, manages to run through another tackler who dives at his legs.

But the Georgia product isn’t done yet. Again, he refuses to be tackled and adds another five yards as a third defender makes contact with him before finally hitting the ground. So, he carried one guy for about 10 yards and then another for about five more yards. This is why you might have heard/seen the George Kittle comparisons.

This is pretty much the same play design, only from a condensed formation where both receivers are closer to the offensive line. Again, it’s an easy throw for the quarterback and ends up being a first down because of the tight end’s YAC skills.

Here, the wide receiver misses his block on the safety, allowing the safety to get a clean hit on Bowers as Bowers gets his head around and turns up the field. However, the Georgia product runs through the tackle attempt almost unimpeded, barely breaking stride. Then, he shows a nice burst to make another defender miss and tightropes the sideline to move the chains.

The word ‘elite’ can be used too often when talking about a draft prospect’s game but it’s the only way to describe Bowers’ contact balance.

This might be the most impressive five-yard gain you’ll ever see.

Georgia runs a tap pass, which is essentially a running play, and they leave the defensive end unblocked in hopes that he’ll either run up the field or follow the jet sweep action to the other side of the field. But the end does a good job of staying home and should have Bowers dead to rights for a tackle for loss.

However, the tight end uses his athleticism to cut up the field, and that prevents the end from getting a clean tackle. Then, another defender comes in and gives Bowers a good shot. But it doesn’t matter as Bowers quickly gathers himself and keeps his feet moving to turn what should have been a loss into a gain that keeps the offense on schedule.

There’s a reason why I started with these three clips. Yes, the Raiders’ quarterback situation isn’t ideal. But any quarterback can make these three throws and the first-round pick doesn’t need an elite passer to be an impactful player. That’s what makes him so special.

Moving onto a couple of throws down the field.

In the clip above, Georgia catches Auburn running Cover 3 cloud by having Bowers and the slot receiver switch release post-snap, leading to a wide-open throw since the corner follows the seam route from the slot instead of passing it off to the safety.

Then, Bowers does a decent job of recognizing he’s in a hole against zone coverage and throttling in it. Granted, he can probably do a little better job of slowing down so he doesn’t run into coverage and that’s part of the reason why he catches the ball on his back hip.

But that doesn’t really matter in the big picture because he makes one defensive back miss with a nasty cut and breaks another tackle before going down for a 35-yard gain.

This next rep is similar to the last one where Auburn makes a mistake in coverage with the boundary safety getting too wide and Bowers makes them pay. Here, he shows off a nice stiff arm to break one tackle and what’s impressive is he doesn’t lose speed while doing it. That helps him break another tackle and then run away from the safety for an “easy” 40-yard touchdown.

The Bulldogs coaching staff did a great job of finding innovative ways to get their superstar the ball, which is something Luke Getsy and the Raiders will want to integrate.

In this play, Georgia fakes a toss to the short side of the field and runs a reverse with Bowers who was lined up as a slot receiver. However, South Carolina’s safety quickly recognizes it and crashes downhill to be in a great position to make a tackle for loss. But, the dynamic playmaker uses a nice move and a stiff arm to break that defender’s tackle.

To finish, Bowers turns up the field and not only gets back to the line of scrimmage, but he takes what should have been a seven-yard loss into a gain for the offense while handing out some punishment to the corner who forces him out of bounds. So, a play that was doomed and should have put Georgia in third and forever, ends up being third and manageable.

Again, just give Brock Bowers the ball!