Brock Bowers blowing away Raiders defensive back with his speed

One veteran defensive back has nothing but praise for the explosiveness of the rookie tight end

Cory Kinnan | Jul 31, 2024

Apr 26, 2024; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers speaks to the media at Intermountain Health Performance Center in Henderson, NV. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports / Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

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Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders knew they had a special player in tight end Brock Bowers when they used their first round pick on him in the 2024 NFL Draft.

And now, the veteran players on the roster are starting to see it too. Specifically the defensive backs. Even more specifically, veteran nickel corner Nate Hobbs. When speaking about Bowers to the media this week, Hobbs had nothing but praise for what Bowers has been able to do thus far in training camp. Talking about guarding Bowers, Hobbs stated:

"I had no clue. Usually, I can get on a tight end and I can let off. Jog a little bit and turn it on. But with him, you gotta be locked in because he's different. He's a physical specimen."
- Raiders CB Nate Hobbs on Brock Bowers

Georgia tight end Brock Bowers / Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

Bowers, of course, does not have a 40-yard dash on record as he did not test during his pre-draft process. However, his play speed on tape while at the University of Georgia speaks for itself, and he's doing the same thing thus far at the professional level.

Bowers racked up 714 yards and six touchdowns in just 10 games a year ago after suffering an ankle injury that derailed what would have been a career-shattering year numbers wise. While quarterback play in Las Vegas could hamper his production early on at the NFL level, Bowers is the type of player worth manufacturing touches for. Outside of wideout Davante Adams, the lack of playmakers on the Raiders' offense is evident.

He's torching his own defensive backs in practice, and soon we will get to see him do it to opposing teams too. Here are some of Bowers' top plays through training camp thus far:

#Raiders CB Nate Hobbs says Brock Bowers' speed can make the former Georgia star TE a matchup nightmare.

"I had no clue. Usually when I get on a tight end I could let off or jog a little bit. With him, you got to be locked in because he's different." pic.twitter.com/VVq8XUlhv0
— Nick Walters (@nickwalt) July 29, 2024

Brock Bowers looks like the real deal. pic.twitter.com/NOQVyqhEqT
— Eric Williams (@eric_d_williams) July 26, 2024

#Raiders TE Brock Bowers has been “unguardable” in the redzone so far in camp. Bowers had 3 straight back shoulder fades for TD’s on the first day of camp.

Bowers is +4000 to win OROY on Fan Duel. pic.twitter.com/qXDjCQhu3d
— Brewing Bets (@BrewingBets) July 29, 2024