Several NFL scouts reportedly graded Brock Bowers as the best player in the 2024 NFL draft class.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported Bowers’ position “pushed him out of the top 10.” The Las Vegas Raiders selected Bowers with the No. 13 pick in last month’s draft.

The selection came as a surprise to most given Las Vegas’ needs elsewhere on the roster and the fact the Raiders selected Michael Mayer in the second round of the 2023 draft. The Raiders also have no long-term answer at quarterback at the moment, with Gardner Minshew and Aiden O’Connell set to compete for the starting job.

“I think they were stuck once Atlanta took (Michael) Penix and they were like, ‘Oh, crap, we might not get a quarterback to fall to us,’ and they scrambled and took that kid,” one NFL executive told Mike Sando of The Athletic. “He is a good player, but a luxury item. I don’t like those kinds of picks unless you have everything else.”

Still, it’s impossible to deny Bowers’ prodigious talent.

The Georgia product was a star from the moment he stepped on the field in Athens, earning All-American honors in each of his three seasons with the team. He is the only player in college football history to win the John Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end in consecutive seasons.

When the Raiders do figure out their quarterback position, Bowers should be a stellar option as a pass-catcher over the middle while providing help as a blocker in the run game.

The B/R Scouting Department ranked Bowers as the No. 2 overall player in the 2024 class, behind only wideout Marvin Harrison Jr., who was selected No. 4 by the Arizona Cardinals.