One year after leaving the University of Georgia as one of college football’s most accomplished tight ends, Brock Bowers has been recognized as the top tight end and No. 24 overall player in the NFL Network’s and NFL.com’s Top 100 Players of 2025 list, as voted on by his peers.
Bowers, who now plays for the Las Vegas Raiders, had a standout rookie season. He set new rookie records for receptions and broke Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinee Mike Ditka’s long-standing record for receiving yards by a tight end from 1963. Although Bowers did not win Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year, he was selected for the Pro Bowl and named first-team All-Pro.
According to NFL Pro Insight, “Brock Bowers has generated +177 receiving yards over expected this season (second-most among tight ends) and a 27.6% target rate, the second-highest by a rookie tight end since 2022 (min. 150 routes).”
San Francisco 49ers five-time All-Pro tight end George Kittle said, “A lot of rookies, they hit a rookie wall, at some point throughout the season, just because the year itself is so long. He still attacks each week like they are playing for the playoffs, stuff like that (…) And you love to see that from players. I thoroughly enjoy watching Brock play. He just goes out there. He works his tail off. He catches everything. He makes the one-handed catches (…). He runs a lot of wide receiver routes, too. You see him setting up corners, breaking across their face. Really cool stuff. Not everyone can do that. That is a hell of an accomplishment. He shows up any time his number is called. Really, really good football player.”
Other notable players with ties to Georgia also made this year’s Top 100 list: Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey at No. 100; Buffalo Bills running back James Cook at No. 89; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford at No. 59; Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter at No. 43; and Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith at No. 40.
During his first professional season with Las Vegas in 2024, Bowers posted 112 receptions for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns—both franchise records for a rookie—and surpassed marks previously held by Puka Nacua and Amari Cooper as well as Hall of Famer Ditka.
The Raiders drafted Bowers with the thirteenth pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft after he completed an acclaimed career at Georgia which included being named first-team Associated Press All-SEC and Coaches’ All-SEC honors multiple times along with winning back-to-back John Mackey Awards—a first in college football history.
By finishing his collegiate career with over two thousand five hundred thirty-eight receiving yards—the third-most in Georgia program history—and earning three-time All-American status alongside David Pollack and Herschel Walker (the only other three-time selections), Bowers capped one of college football’s most productive careers before making an immediate impact in professional football.
The full article originated on Dawgs247.
