Raiders Tight End Makes NFL Top 100 List With This Ranking

The Las Vegas Raiders are lightly represented in the NFL’s Top 100, to say the least, but they did manage to land tight end Brock Bowers at No. 60, according to the latest release. It’s a fascinating ranking with plenty of angles and sides that are well worth a breakdown, so let’s go there and examine whether it’s too high or too low. 

Why this rank is too high

Bowers had a bad year last year, even though it wasn’t his fault. He injured his knee in the Raiders’ Week 1 victory over the New England Patriots, and the tight end was never the same after that. Bowers tried hard to stay on the field, but there were times when his compromised status was a liability to the Las Vegas offense, such as it was. 

Bowers was also a bad match with quarterback Geno Smith, who has a tendency to hold the ball and wait for deep receivers to come open. Say what you will about that decision, but Bowers is at his best on short crossing routes and other patterns designed to get him in space, and these were barely part of the Raiders offense at all. 

The tight end has an uphill climb just to reestablish his reputation, and he’ll be trying to do that with a veteran journeyman quarterback and a rookie who’s barely taken snaps under center. 

Why this rank is too low

Bowers is a known quantity who hasn’t just performed when he’s been healthy, he’s been one of the best tight ends in the league. He posted well over 100 receptions and blew away the rookie records for tight ends. 

Moreover, Bowers did this for a motley collection of quarterbacks on a team that went 4-13 as he was learning his position at the NFL  level. You can make a strong argument that Bowers should have been Rookie of the Year back in 2024, but the almost unprecedented run of Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels ruled out that possibility. 

Now Bowers is playing for a coach with a proven track record as an offensive innovator. Unlike Pete Carroll, who proved conclusively that the game has passed him by, coach Klint Kubiak has a newly-minted Super Bowl ring that includes the ability to turn Bowers back into a star. 

The offense will be designed around Bowers to at least some extent, which is yet another point in favor of this ranking being too low. Bowers is an elite player who should have been in the Top 50, at least if you believe all the points in this part of the argument.