The Raiders drafted TE Brock Bowers 13th overall, which says plenty about how much they like his talent. But that doesn't guarantee he'll get enough playing time to produce right away. According to The Athletic's Tashan Reed, new OC Luke Getsy's "run-first offense asks a lot out of tight ends in the run game, so Bowers will have to make strides in that area to stay on the field."
TEs coach Luke Steckel in May: "First thing’s first: I tell our guys they’re going to earn all their opportunities in the pass game by blocking in the run game. That might be an old-school mentality, but that’s my approach: Tight ends are blockers first. And then when we can go make plays in the pass game, that’s just icing on the cake.”
Reed: "The Raiders will frequently use 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends, two receivers) to get Bowers and [Michael] Mayer on the field together, but that obviously won’t always be the case. If Bowers doesn’t develop quickly as a blocker, it wouldn’t be unthinkable for Mayer to see more snaps."
Luke Getsy on Bowers in May: "Brock’s a unique guy. ... I think it’s been said here plenty of times, he was probably the best player in the SEC for some time while [he] was there, and he won a bunch of games. I think he’s just one of those elements that gives us an opportunity to do a bunch of different things."
The Raiders are clearly excited about Bowers' talent, otherwise they wouldn't have drafted him 13th overall. The question, though, is how quickly that becomes meaningful fantasy production.
Getsy's two years as Chicago's OC found the Bears ranking 32nd and 27th in pass attempts, vs. second in rushing attempts each year. QB Justin Fields obviously played a big role in that. But we shouldn't expect a pass-happy Raiders unit with Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell fighting for the starting gig.
TE Cole Kmet did rank first then second on those Bears teams in targets. He was also in his third and fourth seasons by that point.
Last year's Raiders drafted Mayer early in Round 2 and then threw him just 40 targets for the season -- a mere nine more than veteran teammate Austin Hooper.
I'll take the over on 40 targets for Bowers, but Mayer's also good -- and a more traditional TE. That might lead to him lowering Bowers' early opportunity ceiling.
Betting on Bowers' talent in fantasy seems like a good idea. Just make sure you don't take that leap too early.
Bowers' talent is especially worth betting on for the long term. We didn't lower his dynasty outlook in any meaningful way.
If this Raiders staff struggles to leverage available talent and win games, it won't be around for long.
Mayer was the biggest loser from the Raiders drafting Bowers. We'll see exactly how they fit together, but it's tough to see significant receiving upside for him while Bowers is healthy.
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