In Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season, Raiders rookie tight end Brock Bowers stepped onto the field and immediately made waves. He hauled in six catches for 58 yards against the Chargers, leading the team in targets and demonstrating his versatility lined up in both the slot and on the line. Coaches noted his improvement in route-running and blocking. Notably executing a Kelce-style blaze‑out route, looked far beyond his years. Commentators highlighted that Bowers “floats around out there” with natural game instincts. By Week 2, the Georgia standout continued to shine.
He pulled down nine catches for 98 yards in a tight win over Baltimore, adding to his historic rookie start. That performance made him the rookie tight end with the most catches (15) in his first two career games. Surpassing even Rob Gronkowski’s early benchmarks. Brock Bowers has had only a single season in the NFL, but he has already become a household name in the big league. Although he is one of the strongest players in the sport, the tight end had an interesting story about his NFL debut.
On an episode of the Bussin With The Boys podcast, Bowers confessed to the shocking truth about his debut NFL snap, which required blocking Khalil Mack, a 9-time Pro Bowl LB. “Like the first Raiders season game when we played the Chargers, and I remember my first play and I had to wrap back and go block Khalil Mack,” he said. That awe, however, didn’t last long. Mack, who was facing his old team with a chip the size of the Vegas strip, wasn’t about to let a rookie slide. He bulldozed through Bowers and then delivered a cutting three-word message. It was something like, “You were soft.” Mack’s reputation was built on moments like this. He wasn’t just a six-time Pro Bowler or a former Defensive Player of the Year. But in 2023, Mack had just notched 17 sacks, tying his career-best while terrorizing backfields all year long.
Brock Bowers apologized to Khalil Mack after missing a block on him pic.twitter.com/W7kO8WjcI8
— Bussin’ With The Boys (@BussinWTB) July 15, 2025
For Mack, it was business. For Bowers, it was an instant reality check. “I’m sorry to even try to block you. I’m sorry, yeah,” Bowers said. “And he’s playing against his old team too. You know those guys always have a chip on their shoulder when they play their old team. Yeah, no doubt.” Yet, Bowers didn’t shrink from that baptism by fire. He bounced back by becoming the Raiders’ second-most productive pass-catcher in that very game. Thus, pulling down six receptions for 58 yards.
Bowers’ versatility flashed immediately. His longest catch went for 26 yards, showcasing the athleticism that made him a first-round pick. Head coach Antonio Pierce was quick to recognize the impact. “Impressive, impressive,” Pierce said. “I thought butterflies were there, young rookie. I don’t care how much football you’ve played in the SEC or anything like that, you go out there in your first game, it’s real, it’s different.” That performance set the tone for Bowers’ rookie campaign, where he finished with 112 catches, 1,194 yards, five touchdowns, and a Pro Bowl nod. Proof that even when you get checked by Khalil Mack, it’s how you respond that defines you.
Brock Bowers’ shocking return to Georgia
Brock Bowers couldn’t exactly slip back into college life unnoticed. After setting the NFL on fire with the Las Vegas Raiders last season, smashing the rookie tight end record books. The former Georgia Bulldogs superstar returned to Athens for the spring semester. But his classmates weren’t about to let the Pro Bowler blend in. On the last day of class, Bowers found himself signing “seven or eight” Georgia jerseys, each stamped with his iconic No. 19. “It was kind of funny,” Bowers said. “I was just sitting there and then someone would come with a jersey in their backpack with a pen and I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’ll sign it.’”
While most NFL players take years to finish their degrees, Bowers’ early return to campus stood out. Georgia’s assistant athletic director of academics, Cory Kopaniasz, noted that while former Bulldogs like Jordan Davis, Kamari Lassiter, and Nolan Smith plan to wrap up their coursework, “most guys are trying to establish themselves.” But Bowers didn’t need that buffer period. He entered the NFL as a John Mackey Award winner, two-time national champion, and Georgia’s all-time leader in receiving yards for three straight seasons. 175 receptions, 26 touchdowns, and over 2,500 yards. His rookie campaign with the Raiders only added to his legacy: 112 catches, 1,194 receiving yards. Both NFL rookie tight end records and a finalist spot for the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Bowers, who majored in finance, skipped the Raiders’ voluntary offseason program this spring due to his class schedule. But his impact on the field isn’t on pause. He led all tight ends last season in catches and receiving yards, notching the third-most catches by a tight end in NFL history. His dominance hasn’t gone unnoticed in Las Vegas, where they expect him to build on his historic debut. For Bowers, though, the spring was less about football and more about finishing what he started back in Athens.
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