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Brock Bowers isn’t just the top tight end prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft; he is one of the best tight end prospects in years.
Bowers is the SEC’s all-time leader for tight ends in catches (175), receiving yards (2,538) and receiving touchdowns (26) — and all of those figures were also the most at the position across the entire country from 2021-23. Those numbers weren’t just empty calories either: they translated to winning games in a big way. The Georgia Bulldogs went an FBS-best 42-2 over the course of Bowers’ collegiate career, winning College Football Playoff national championships in his freshman and sophomore seasons. Bowers is also the first college football player with 25 or more receiving touchdowns and five or more rushing touchdowns in a career since Tavon Austin — whose play inspired one of the best highlight reels of all time — did so at West Virginia from 2009-12. Dynamic to say the least.
However, there is plenty of debate about where it makes sense for him to be drafted because of his positional value. First-round rookie contracts provide NFL teams with financial flexibility for four to five years depending on a player’s position. Even when top-flight tight ends do end up needing to be compensated at the top of their position’s market, that number can still come in below $20 million on an average annual salary.
There are six tight ends currently averaging an annual salary of $14 million or more with none at or above $20 million: Darren Waller of the Giants ($17 million), T.J. Hockenson of the Vikings ($16.5 million), George Kittle of the 49ers ($15 million), Travis Kelce of the Chiefs ($14.3 million), Dallas Goedert of the Eagles ($14.3 million) and Mark Andrews of the Ravens ($14 million). Conversely, there are 13 wide receivers with an average annual salary at $20 million or higher.
Some teams will still subscribe to the approach of picking the best…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/brock-bowers-landing-spots-ranking-best-fits-for-top-te-in-2024-nfl-draft-including-aaron-rodgers-jets/
Author : Garrett Podell
Publish date : 2024-02-22 17:43:13
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