Prized top-10 prospect hits snag, could fall to Rams…

Prized Top-10 prospect hits snag, could drop to the Rams at 19

[ramblinfan.com]

Bret Stuter



When the LA Rams selected QB Jared Goff with the first-overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, the team was merely continuing a long-standing NFL tradition. Some NFL positions are notoriously chosen among the Top-Five selections in any NFL Draft. Those positions are: Quarterback, edge rusher, wide receiver, cornerback, offensive tackle, and occasionally, defensive lineman.

But one position that has seldom been deemed worthy of even at Top-15 pick in the NFL Draft. That position is the tight end position. But is that about to change? Some think so. Georgie tight end prospect Brock Bowers has been listed among the Top-10 players on virtually every 2024 NFL Draft Big Boards for months.

Listed anywhere from the sixth to the tenth overall prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft, Bowers is set to buck the trend of NFL teams looking elsewhere for their Round 1 pick. By many accounts, he is to the tight end position what Caleb Williams is to the quarterback position or what Marvin Harrison Jr. is to the wide receiver position. He is the best in slot at tight end by a wide margin.

But is King of the Mountain, or just a man standing atop a molehill? While the early impressions were that he could be a generationally epic NFL tight end, did the hype get too carried away? Well, there will be some resetting of his draft stock now, as he was unable to participate in Georgia's Pro Day due to a hamstring injury.

That follows the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, an event that Brock Bowers opted not to compete in, saving his performance for his Pro Day. Now, Brock Bowers is 0-2.

Of course, if a team is set on choosing Bowers, they will choose Bowers. But Pro Days and performances during the NFL Scouting Combine are not to set an NFL team's draft board, but to confirm the priority among players on that draft board, and to break any ties that may have developed over the creation of that board.

Medical flags may 'feel' insignificant to NFL fans, but if your job depended on making defendable picks, do you rolll the dice or make a more-easily defendable selection? Now, Georgia TE Brock Bowers is no longer just trying to beat the selection of a tight end of breaking into the Top-10 players selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he's trying to do so without any athletic performance of speed, agility or strength to confirm a selection among the top prospects.

Players have fallen pretty quickly in past drafts for less.

Not every team needs or wants a tight end in Round 1. Judging by the 2024 NFL Free Agency market, many NFL teams (the LA Rams included) insulated themselves by addressing the tight end position already. Does that negate any chances of the Rams selecting a tight end in the 2024 NFL Draft? No, I don't think so.

Of course, that theory could be tested if Brock Bowers falls to 19. Do the Rams select him if he does? At one point, that scenario seemed unlikely. Now? I'm not so sure. Perhaps the scenario has changed even more dramatically in that at one point, I believed the Rams' front office was willing to trade up to select Bowers. I'm no longer certain that the team will select him if he falls to them.

What are your thoughts? Do you believe that Brock Bowers may fall to the Rams at 19? If he does, should the team draft him? Let us know in the comments section of our Facebook page.

And as always, thank you for reading.