Joel Klatt believes Brock Bowers is one of the top pass catchers in the NFL Draft, and his opinion on Georgia’s star tight end makes a lot of sense.

In his latest episode of the Joel Klatt Show, FOX’s popular analyst ranked Bowers as the second-best pass catcher available in the 2024 NFL Draft. Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. was the only player ahead of Bowers on Klatt’s list as he expects a lot of people “are chasing ghosts” when it comes to Bowers’ status in this draft.

“Brock Bowers is a phenomenal player and he plays a position that is highly valuable, and I know that’s not all that popular of a take,” admitted Klatt. “…In fact, I think what you’re going to hear a lot in this process is a devaluing of the tight end position.”

As it relates to Bowers, Klatt sees a versatile player who can impact the game a variety of ways while continuing to hammer home the idea of a valuable TE position:

“He impacts the game every time he’s on the field. Whether it’s third down, red zone, this guy is an impact player. He’s fast, he’s a matchup nightmare and he plays a position that is highly valuable,” Klatt explained.

Why Klatt is right about Bowers’ outlook

Klatt is not the only one bothered by some perceived slights of Bowers’ stock since last spring. Coming out of the 2023 NFL Draft, many were projecting Bowers as a potential top-5 pick, and Saturday Down South’s Connor O’Gara questioned why the TE is slipping in mock drafts after the season he had. Fans can monitor all the NFL Draft odds via SDS’s best sports betting apps.

As for his value, Bowers has proven his worth simply based on his personal stats. He stepped onto campus in Athens as a ready-made college player, delivering over 2,500 receiving yards in 3 dynamic seasons for the Bulldogs.

Bowers’ work is also not only related to the passing game. He’s a serviceable blocker in the running game, and Georgia utilized him as a ball carrier with 19 carries, over 100 rushing yards and 5 rushing touchdowns.

NFL.com draft expert Daniel Jeremiah also has Bowers high on his list of top 50 prospects, slotting the TE at No. 7 overall. While Jeremiah said Bowers is a bit undersized, he compared Bowers to star San Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle with elite speed, strength and playmaking ability.

Then, there’s the point Klatt makes about the TE position being extremely valuable. All one has to do to see the value in elite TE play is revisit the most recent Super Bowl matchup.

The most recent Super Bowl pitted the 49ers against the Kansas City Chiefs in a matchup of the top receiving TEs in the NFL. Kittle led all TEs this season with 1,020 receiving yards while Kansas City’s Travis Kelce was second with 984 receiving yards. Both of those players had other key pieces around them, but it goes to show that incorporating dynamic tight ends can make a huge difference in an offense.

That doesn’t mean a team in search of a quarterback will be able to bypass a QB to take Bowers, but Georgia’s superstar should be in the mix for any team with a “best player available” mindset in the early picks of the draft. And if he’s still on the board after the first 10 picks, some team (or teams) will ultimately regret passing on Bowers.