Brock Bowers was an electric playmaker in Georgia’s offense for 3 seasons. After arriving in Athens, he was immediately a game changer on back-to-back national title teams and a 3-year star for the Bulldogs.

Despite Bowers’ elite production and strong physical makeup, his NFL Draft outlooks remains a bit muddied. FOX’s Joel Klatt has Bowers as one of the top pass catchers available, slotting the tight end ahead of some other first-round receivers. Daniel Jeremiah and Mel Kiper Jr. are also high on Bowers with both experts listing the TE as the No. 7 overall prospect in the draft.

So, why is there some questioning about whether or not Bowers will be selected high in the first round of the draft? NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks has Bowers as the top wild card in the draft, explaining some of that relates to the current stars at the position in the NFL.

Brooks pointed to the fact that some of the best NFL TEs today were not first-round picks. George Kittle was a 5th-round pick while Travis Kelce was a 3rd-round selection. Sam LaPorta, Mark Andrews and Cole Kmet were similarly not selected in the first round.

On the other side of the equation, high first-round selections like Kyle Pitts and OJ Howard have not delivered on big-time anticipations. With all those factors considered, Brooks sees a range between the No. 10 and the No. 21 pick where Bowers could be selected.

What sportsbooks are saying

At DraftKings, Bowers currently leads the odds to be the No. 10 pick in the draft at +150. The New York Jets currently hold the 10th overall pick, a sentiment echoed at ESPN Bet.

The New York Jets are -105 to take Bowers per ESPN Bet while the Indianapolis Colts (+300) are the only other team given a realistic shot to draft the TE. The Colts currently hold the 15th pick, and Bowers’ draft position over/under is set at 11.5.

Pass on Bowers at your own risk

It happens in every NFL Draft, but it bears repeating that the best prospects in the draft seldom become the first selections taken. Team needs play a role, and the quarterback-hungry nature of the NFL usually leads to an early run on QBs. (And similar early runs on tackles to protect QBs and pass rushers to harass QBs.)

If Bowers slides outside of the top 10 picks, it would not be a surprise by any means. But, it would mean some team(s) is making a big mistake in the process.

Predicting which players will be busts is futile. After all, if you could predict the busts, you would be working for an NFL front office and not reading this piece, but we know the odds of a few top-10 picks becoming busts is inevitable.

If that scenario plays out, Bowers has the potential to make someone regret passing on him, and it’s arguable his playing style lends himself to being a safer pick than some of the other first-round disappointments at TE.

Either way, one NFL team will be very happy to have Bowers in the lineup when the 2024 NFL season kicks off.