Raiders' Bowers Earns Extreme Recognition for First 8 Weeks of Rookie Season

Las Vegas Raiders rookie tight end Brock Bowers could very well be on his way to an Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.

Oct 27, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) gestures after a first down against Kansas City Chiefs safety Nazeeh Johnson (13) in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders were questioned for taking a tight end in the first round of the NFL Draft.

While initially, it didn't seem to make a whole lot of sense with Michael Mayer having proven himself as an up-and-coming star in his own right, Bowers wasn't just any tight end. And through eight weeks, he might just be the best right now.

Pro Football Focus' Gordon McGuinness ranked Bowers the No. 1 rookie through the first eight weeks of the season, beating out players like Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, Green Bay Packers safety Evan Williams and Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Jared Verse.

Williams was ranked second, Daniels was ranked third and Verse was ranked fourth.

You can view the rest of the rankings here.

Here is what McGuinness had to say about Bowers:

"Bowers lost his title as the NFL's highest-graded tight end to George Kittle this past week but now holds the top grade among rookies. He has averaged 2.21 yards per route run this season and still leads all tight ends in receiving yards (535)."

Bowers has a PFF grade of 88.4.

The rookie tight end is on a tear, leading the league in receptions with 52 while ranking 11th in the league in receiving yards.

Bowers slowed down a bit this past weekend when he posted 58 yards on five receptions, as the Raiders were forced to go away from him when the Kansas City Chiefs applied pressure on him and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers in the second half.

Despite this "underwhelming" outing, which wouldn't be considered one for most other tight ends, Bowers earned his 20th reception of 10 or more yards this year, the most of any tight end in the league. He also became just the second tight end ever to reach 500 receiving yards through the first eight games of their first season.

Bowers is also the only tight end in NFL history to attain 50 catches in his first eight starts.

The rookie is making history, and it's clear the sky is the limit for just how great he can be. If he keeps this impressive rookie campaign going, he could very well earn himself the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

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