More Catches for Raiders in 2024: Mayer or Bowers?

The Las Vegas Raiders have a dangerous tight end duo in Michael Mayer and Brock Bowers.

Las Vegas Raiders TE Brock Bowers from OTAs / Darrell Craig Harris, Sports Illustrated

The Las Vegas Raiders are going to attack defenses in 2024 with two of the best tight end prospects in recent memory: Michael Mayer and Brock Bowers. 

The alliteratively named duo each set records at their respective colleges and now hope to set records in Las Vegas. New Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy should have fun scheming an offense that features two tough covers at the same position. 

Mayer saw minimal snaps early in his rookie season but earned more as the season went on and was much more productive in the second half of the year. Bowers was the Raiders’ first-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. That pick came as a surprise, but the Raiders clearly went with their best player available strategy. 

While the two will be counterparts in the offense in 2024, they will compete for snaps and more targets in the offense. 

So, which megastar prospect tight end, who is still a relative unknown, will catch more passes for the Raiders in 2024?

Let’s evaluate each of their cases. 

We’ll start with the incumbent Mayer, who saw 602 offensive snaps in his rookie season, according to Pro Football Focus, and caught 27 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns. 

Before the selection of Bowers, Mayer looked like he was in line to be the star tight end and a bigger fixture of the offense going into his second season. He could still be that, but the addition of Bowers puts into question just how many targets he’ll get. 

Mayer’s ability to attack all three levels of the field, create plays after the catch, and be a red zone threat all made him arguably the best tight end prospect in the 2023 class. 

Mayer found a level of comfort with quarterback Aidan O’Connell last season. If O’Connell wins the starting job, it could bode well for Mayer to earn more snaps as a tight end with which the starting quarterback is already familiar. 

Now, let’s look at Bowers’ chances. Bowers is one of the most unique tight end prospects to enter the league in a long time. He has size, speed, excellent hands, and absurd strength. 

Georgia used Bowers as an in-line tight end, split him out wide as a receiver, and gave him the ball on end-arounds. He is truly a gadget player and can be used as much more than just a tight end. 

Bowers finished his Bulldogs career with 175 receptions for 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns. He had 2,731 yards from scrimmage and 31 touchdowns. 

His unique usage, coupled with his rare athletic traits, make Bowers a real shot to be a consistent contributor to the Raiders’ offense almost instantly. 

Mayer and Bowers both have real cases to be the Raiders’ top tight end. 

When choosing one, though, it seems more likely that Bowers will be the tight end who earns more catches and is the Raiders’ top option at that position. 

However, Raider Nation won’t care who the top option is if they contribute to winning football.

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