The Las Vegas Raiders certainly raised some eyebrows when they selected Georgia tight end Brock Bowers with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but not because the selection was a reach.

It was because the Raiders had just drafted tight end Michael Mayer in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and he had a promising rookie campaign, especially considering the circumstances.

Las Vegas taking a tight end with a top-40 pick in back-to-back years is also extremely rare, as no team had done it in 50 years. Adding to that, the Raiders are the only team in the last 20 years to take a tight end in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft in back-to-back years, with the franchise having done it twice.

In an article naming the best and worst picks of the 2024 NFL Draft, ESPN’s Liz Loza expressed her dismay with the pick, saying she was “stupefied” but what she considers the biggest head-scratching pick of the three-day event.

Tight end Brock Bowers to the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 13. I was stupefied by the Raiders’ selection of Bowers, and it’s not because of his talent level. He’s a potential generational talent with a do-it-all skill set who was expected to come off the board before the first half of the first round. However, Las Vegas spent an early second-round pick on Michael Mayer just a year ago and entered the draft with holes all along the offensive line. In the end, I suppose, the value Bowers presented was too great to pass on.

It’s true the Raiders really needed an offensive tackle more than a tight end, and the same can be said for a cornerback and quarterback.

But general manager Tom Telesco made it clear he wasn’t going to just draft based on need alone and was going to consider the future in his decisions, also.

When you dig a bit deeper on Bowers’ game, it’s very clear he isn’t like a traditional tight end that is only going to be an in-line option. Bowers is a unicorn as a pass-catcher and is capable of lining up all over the formation. At Georgia, more than half of his snaps were in the slot.

That will allow the Raiders to use him in multiple ways and have Bowers and Mayer on the field at the same time more often. On top of that, they complement each other well, as Mayer is a good pass-catcher and great blocker while Bowers is an OK blocker and exceptional pass-catcher.

Would I have rather had a cornerback, offensive tackle or quarterback in the spot the Raiders took Bowers?

Absolutely, but it isn’t hard to see what Telesco sees in the Georgia product. He was excellent value in that spot, and Las Vegas needed more help in the passing game, also.

Even if you hate the Bowers pick, I think we can all agree that the Raiders’ first-round selection doesn’t hold a candle to the Atlanta Falcons drafting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall after paying Kirk Cousins a ton of money earlier in the offseason.