2024 Atlanta Falcons Potential Draft Pick Profile: TE Brock Bowers

The Atlanta Falcons could turn the NFL on it's head by taking another tight end in the top 10 of the NFL draft with a selection of Georgia Bulldogs tight end Brock Bowers. Bowers is an exceptional prospect who could be the best prospect the NFL has seen since Kyle Pitts. He's just under what would be a generational label but is still worth a top 10 selection. Bowers will be an impact player for whoever drafts him and projects as a complete tight end at the next level.

Brock Bowers

University of Georgia

Tight End

Athletic Comparison and Numbers

There's no athletic testing for Brock Bowers outside of size and arm length and such. So because of that, this athletic comparison is made more based on film. Aaron Hernandez was a fantastic athlete for his position and one of the better athletes to play the position in the NFL. Short area quickness is where Bowers truly wins more than a deep speed. That's not to say that Bowers doesn't have enough speed to pressure safeties on seam routes, but he's not a burner like a Kyle Pitts was.

Stats and Awards

2023: 10 Games Played, 56 Catches, 714 Yards, 6 Touchdowns, 6 Carries, 28 Yards, 1 Touchdown, First-Team All-American, First-Team All-SEC, John Mackey Award Winner, Lombardi Award Finalist, Walter Camp Player of the Year Semi-Finalist, Biletnikoff Award Semi-Finalist, Maxwell Award Semi-Finalist
2022: 15 Games Played, 63 Catches, 942 Yards, 7 Touchdowns, 9 Carries, 109 Yards, 3 Touchdowns, 1 Tackle, First-Team All-American, First-Team All-SEC, John Mackey Award Winner, Lombardi Award Finalist, Walter Camp Player of the Year Semi-Finalist
2021: 15 Games Played, 56 Catches, 882 Yards, 13 Touchdowns, 4 Carries, 56 Yards, 1 Touchdown, 2 Tackles, First-Team All-American, Freshman All-American, SEC Freshman of the Year Winner, Freshman of the Year Award Winner, First-Team All-SEC, SEC Newcomer of the Year Winner

Highlight Reel

Scouting Report

Strengths

Brock Bowers is a quick-twitch athlete who is quick to contact in his blocks and off the line when he's running routes. He's got fantastic acceleration and will be a weapon against man coverage when matched up with linebackers. In and out of breaks, Bowers can lose defenders and create separation very well. His catch technique is perfect, and he can high-point a ball with the best of them. He's a willing run blocker with fantastic hand usage and doesn't get knocked back. This also shows up with the ball in his hands when he doesn't get knocked down very easily.

Weaknesses

The biggest weakness for Bowers is that he is not a great blocker. Don't be mistaken, he's still a solid blocker, but he's not great at it. He's got issues against powerful players when he has to block them and gets tossed by edge defenders and linebackers and linemen more often than he should. He also has to get better at his routes underneath defenders at he second level. His size also hurts him in contested catches and with his catch radius. He doesn't have the longest arms or wingspan, and it shows on his film.

Intangibles & Off-Field Red Flags

"I know he’s such a special kid. I’m not trying to be broad there. Here’s what I mean by that, any box you create, he checks it. Just from a kid standpoint. The kid is the hardest worker I’ve ever met. He’ll be the first one to breakfast. He’ll be the first one in the training room to get his ankles taped. He’ll be the first one in the meeting room. He’ll be the last one to leave the field. If we do a 10-yard sprint, he’ll be the first one to win the 10-yard sprint. If we do a 30-yard sprint, he’ll be the first one to win the 30-yard sprint. You get the point I’m making. That is what makes him special."

- UGA Tight Ends coach Todd Hartley

Tyler Graves of SI.com gave us the perfect quote to describe who Brock Bowers is off the field from the coach that works with him the most directly, UGA tight ends coach Todd Hartley. Bowers has the football character that will put him near the top of every team's board. He sounds like the perfect team player even if he isn't known as a leader in the locker room. Sometimes, being a top-tier follower is perfectly fine, and in the Falcons offense with all the leadership they have from new quarterback Kirk Cousins, they could definitely use a top-tier follower.

NFL Stylistic Comparison: Aaron Hernandez

On the field, the best comparison for Brock Bowers is easily Aaron Hernandez. He's adequate as a blocker, but for the most part, he's a top-tier receiver and how he wins is in a similar aspect. He's also the kind of athlete Hernandez is. The most obvious difference between Hernandez and Bowers is the off-field side of things. Where Hernandez had a lot of issues off the field, Bowers is a proverbial boy scout when he's not on the field.

How does he fit in with the Atlanta Falcons

If the Atlanta Falcons want Brock Bowers, they'll have to take him at No. 8 overall. Teams like the Jets, Broncos and a few others will be lining up for him in the No. 10 to No. 18 range. Bowers would be a perfect No. 2 tight end for the Falcons to complement Kyle Pitts in the offense. Atlanta will be running a lot more two-tight end sets and moving forward without a fullback in the new offense under Zac Robinson, so adding another tight end would absolutely help it go to the next level. The question here is more if it will happen versus whether it should happen.

All advanced stats are courtesy Pro Football Focus or Football Outsiders. All traditional stats are courtesy of official team websites, NFLGSIS or CFB Stats. All RAS and athletic testing numbers are courtesy of DraftScout.com and Kent Lee Platte's RAS Football website.