With the No. 9 pick in the NFL draft, the Chicago Bears could have an even more formidable group of playmakers for their starting quarterback, who could already be an impressive group.
Even though each pass-catching option is excellent in and of itself, they wouldn’t all necessarily improve the Bears’ air attack in the same way. That’s the idea behind Joe Tansey of Bleacher Report’s caution to the team on Monday, April 8, not to choose Georgia tight end Brock Bowers.
For a brief moment, Bears supporters can fantasize about Brock Bowers playing for them. If [Caleb] Williams lives up to the hype in his first season at quarterback, an offense featuring [DJ] Moore, [Keenan] Allen, Bowers, and Cole Kmet could put up video-game numbers.
In all likelihood, the Bears would be better served by concentrating on a third wide receiver in order to spread the field; after all, the last thing they should do is deny Kmet targets. In 2023, Kmet recorded the highest receiving yards of his four-year career. Over the past two seasons, he has scored thirteen touchdowns.
The Bears must not impede Kmet’s further growth, particularly in light of his inconsistent play at quarterback during the previous campaign. Even though a Kmet-Bowers tandem sounds amazing, it is not a realistic option for the Bears offense.
If Brock Bowers had been selected by the Bears in the first round of the draft, he would not have been a Getty tight end for the Georgia Bulldogs.
With its reliance on the cliches “less is more” and “too much of a good thing can be a bad thing,” Tansey’s perspective is subjective. He may be correct, but having more playmakers usually only has an effect on a player or two’s statistical output rather than harming an offense as a whole or even the playmakers’ ability to develop further within an offense.
Drafting a wide receiver ninth overall could cause Chicago similar problems if a Washington wide receiver like Rome Odunze falls that far in the first round. Despite injury concerns and ongoing development issues for former Bears quarterback Justin Fields, Moore may have had a stronger season in 2023 than his new teammate. Allen has made six Pro Bowls in the previous seven years.
It is equally simple to split that into a 3-to-1 ratio or to have four pass-catchers on the field in the shape of two receivers and two tight ends. Because of this, the Bears should presumably just select the best player still on the board at No. 9, be it Odunze, Bowers, or another player. Of course, this is assuming the team doesn’t opt to trade back, which is also a real possibility based on how the draft cards fall at the top of the round.
With the ninth pick in the NFL Draft, the Bears are considering Brock Bowers.
Brock Bowers is traded to the Bengals from the Raiders in the draft.
Georgia Bulldogs tight end Brock Bowers.
Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune wrote last week that the team is “surely looking at the possibility” of selecting Bowers with the 9th pick in the draft.
Bowers is a two-time first-team All American (2022, 2023) and a two-time winner of the John Mackey Award (2022, 2023) given to the best tight end in the NCAA each year.
Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN lists Bowers as the 7th-rated overall prospect on his most recent draft big board and has the tight end landing with the New York Jets at pick No. 10 in his latest mock draft.
“Bowers was an instant difference-maker for the Bulldogs as a true freshman in 2021, catching 56 passes for 882 yards and 13 touchdowns,” Kiper wrote on April 5. “He followed up that season with 63 catches for 942 yards and seven scores as Stetson Bennett‘s No. 1 target, winning his second-straight national title. Being a skilled pass-catcher, he ought to have an immediate effect in the NFL.
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