Kirby Smart explains why teams don't call him about Brock Bowers
ATHENS, Ga. — Kirby Smart is no stranger to fielding calls about NFL prospects. With the draft just a week away and double-digit Georgia players potentially being taken, his phone is probably ringing off the hook. One he doesn’t answer many questions about however is tight end Brock Bowers. Teams know what they’re getting in him.
“It’s been funny, they call and ask about every other guy. There’s not a lot of questions about Brock Bowers. It’s just the opposite. When they’re calling, most of them as a matter of fact say, ‘Well, I don’t even need to ask you about Bowers. I know how you feel about him,’ or ‘I don’t need to ask you about Bowers, I’ve seen the tape.’ It speaks for itself,” Smart said during the pre-draft process for Bowers. “You don’t get those questions. You get questions on other guys where there’s been injuries or they haven’t played as much or they had something happen off the field. But with Brock, there’s just not a lot of questions. He’s a very safe bet.”
A three-time team receiving leader – even though he played in just 10 games this past season – Bowers proved himself to be one of the best players in all of College Football during his Georgia career. He arrived in 2021 and as a freshman, helped the Bulldogs to their first National Championship in 41 years. That was just the start of the special things he did, becoming the first tight end to win the Mackey Award twice while catching 175 passes for 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns in three seasons.
Transitioning to the NFL, it remains to be seen what team will take Bowers in next week’s draft. He’s been widely projected to the New York Jets at No. 10 overall, but some have him falling further. It would come as a massive surprise to see Bowers still available on Day 2, but with a position like tight end that isn’t valued as highly as others like quarterback, offensive tackle, edge rusher, wide receiver and cornerback, it’s impossible to know exactly what teams are thinking.
“I think the NFL is going to allow him to utilize his skillset even better,” Smart said when asked what the ceiling for Bowers in the NFL is. “They’re a pass first league. He’s a weapon. He can block, that’s great and we asked him to block, but he didn’t have to do that out there. They’re going to use the guy all over the place. He’s smart, is one of the best hands catchers and in adjusting to the ball that I’ve ever been around. He can contort his body, I’ve seen some of the catches in practice that are just unreal. I think he’s going to be a great weapon for teams.”
The NFL Draft is set for April 25-27th in Detroit. Georgia is looking to lead the NCAA in selections for a third straight year after having 15 taken in 2022 and 10 in 2023. First round coverage begins on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network at 8:00 p.m. ET next Thursday, continuing into the weekend with the second/third (Friday, 7:00 p.m. ET) and fourth/fifth/sixth/seventh rounds (Saturday, 12:00 p.m. ET) as well.
