Brock Bowers makes PFF's way-too-early All-American team

On3 imageby:Jake Rowe03/10/23

JakeMRowe

There’s a lot we don’t know about the 2023 College Football season and that includes a few things about Georgia, the defending National Champions. What we do know, however, is that junior tight end Brock Bowers is the best player at his position in the country.

Pro Football Focus is on board. The analytics-based site recently put out a way-too-early All American team and Bowers made it. PFF also heaped praise on the rare talent.

“There are some positions where you can debate who’s the best returning player in college football, but tight end is absolutely not one of them. Bowers is easily the best because he’s arguably been the best tight end in each of his first two seasons.

“As a true freshman in 2021, Bowers was the highest-graded Power Five tight end and was the most valuable one in the country according to PFF’s wins above average metric. He was, once again, the most valuable tight end in the nation this season, leading them all in receiving yards (942), yards after the catch (479) and receiving yards after contact (274). He’s the reigning John Mackey Award winner, which is given to the best tight end in college football. 

“Not only is Bowers the best tight end in the country, but he’s also on pace to be the best in the PFF College era.”

The 6-foot-4 240-pound playmaker took home the Mackey Award in 2022, beating out Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer for the honor. Notre Dame fans were none-too-happy but everyone else knew the deal. Bowers is a tremendous tight end but he’s more than that.

He has been UGA’s leading receiver for the past two seasons. He caught 63 passes for 942 yards and seven scored in 2022. That’s incredibly strong for a tight end. But unlike most guys who hold that position label, Bowers was able to post fewer than 1,000 yards receiving but still surpass 1,000 yards from scrimmage.

That’s because he had nine carries for 109 yards and three rushing touchdowns. While most teams are giving it to their fastest or shifitest wideout or running back on jet sweeps, the Bulldogs hand it to Bowers.

Bowers needs 1,270 receiving yards in 2023 to surpass Terrence Edwards for No. 1 on UGA’s all-time list. Edwards accomplished that feat in three years while Bowers can get there in three. He already has the record for number of receiving touchdowns in a season and needs 11 more to set the record for receiving touchdowns in a career.

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