How Far Could Brock Bowers Fall?

Despite being one of the top overall prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft, recent first-round projections have the Georgia tight end tumbling down the board.
How Far Could Brock Bowers Fall?
How Far Could Brock Bowers Fall? /

Georgia tight end Brock Bowers might be one of the top five overall prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft class, but that doesn't mean he'll be picked that early when April rolls around.

It's rare to see a tight end come off the board in the top 10, and even those few elite prospects who have managed to accomplish that feat have struggled to live up to the lofty expectations that come with it.

That's why Bowers could end up waiting longer than expected to hear his name called this year, despite being one of the top talents available, regardless of position.

In the latest 2024 NFL mock draft from NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah, Bowers tumbles all the way to the No. 18 pick, where the Cincinnati Bengals wisely snatch him up.

Georgia tight end Brock Bowers
Bowers is undersized for his position, and missed time with an ankle injury last season / Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Even Jeremiah himself admits that Bowers falling that far seems unlikely, but it's hard not to imagine what the Cincy offense would look like with Bowers teaming up with Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase.

"File this under fits that I selfishly want to see happen," Jeremiah says of the pick. "It’s highly unlikely Bowers falls this far in Round 1, but let’s just pause and dream for a moment about seeing him joining forces with Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase."

Bowers is a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses, but he's undersized for an NFL tight end, and missed time last season with an ankle injury. It's possible many teams picking early in the first round might simply be unwilling to spend their top choice on a smaller tight end who has already dealt with injuries at the college level.

If he does happen to fall to a team like the Bengals, though, many of those teams might look back and regret letting it happen.

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Luke Easterling
LUKE EASTERLING

Luke Easterling (he/him) has been covering college football and the NFL for more than two decades, with a particular focus on the nexus of both, the NFL Draft. Writing for some of the largest and most recognizable brands in sports media, Luke's experience and expertise in evaluating potential NFL prospects and evaluating team needs/fits has earned the appreciation of his readers, and the respect of his peers. Luke cut his sports journalism teeth at The Tampa Tribune before spending two years at Bleacher Report as a featured columnist covering the NFL Draft and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Luke then spent nearly seven years at USA TODAY Sports Media Group as editor of Draft Wire and Bucs Wire, building both into authoritative destination sites for their respective audiences. Now at The Arena Group, Luke covers the NFL and college football for Athlon Sports, and runs Sports Illustrated's FanNation site for the NFL Draft. A graduate of the University of South Florida, Luke has been a featured guest on ESPN Radio, CBS Sports Radio, Fox Sports Radio, SiriusXM and more.  Based in Tampa, Florida (the true home of the Cuban sandwich), Luke plays the drums, loves 2000s pop-punk, watches way too many British murder mystery shows, and channels the energy of his deep-south Grammy and his full-Italian Nana in the kitchen. Twitter: @lukeeasterling Email: luke.easterling@si.com