Ah, how the player-stock pendulum moves from late April to mid-September. After Las Vegas selected tight end Brock Bowers 13th overall in the 2024 draft, most scratched their heads.
Not Rob Gronkowski, who said Tuesday on the Up and Adams Show with Kay Adams he thinks Bowers has an extremely bright future.
“I feel like he’s on track to be better than myself,” Gronkowski said on Tuesday. “I don’t think he can dominate in the trenches the way I dominated in the trenches, but just overall as a pass-catching tight end, I think he can surpass me in many situations.”
In last week’s 26-23 win at Baltimore, Bowers helped the Raiders overcome a 10-point deficit. The rookie had nine receptions for 98 yards in the win. And including his six catches for 58 yards in his NFL debut the previous week, Bowers is the first tight end in NFL annals with at least five receptions and 50 receiving yards in each of his first two career games.
“I’m a big fan,” Gronkowski said. “I can’t wait to continue watching him.”
Neither can the Raiders, who believe the sooner opponents understand that they need to double-team the 6-4, 230-pound Bowers, the sooner the Las Vegas offense flourishes.
The Raiders’ Week 3 game became much more interesting when Carolina (0-2) benched Bryce Young, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 draft. Now, Andy Dalton gets the start at Las Vegas on Sunday (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS).
Dalton is undefeated in three career starts against the Raiders, including a 114.2 passer rating. Per Josh Dubow of the Associated Press, the Raiders didn’t escape their own territory in the last two losses to Dalton.