The Jets were among the teams on hand to view Brock Bowers‘ recent private workout. To little surprise, that will be followed by an in-person visit with the standout tight end. 
Bowers will meet with the Jets on Monday, NFL Network’s Peter Schrager reports. The Georgia alum is widely seen as the top tight end prospect in the 2024 class, and he is among the best pass-catchers available. Plenty of Jets-Bowers connections have been made in the build-up to the draft, and New York (owner of the 10th selection) is certainly interested in adding offensive weapons at the top of the board.
The Jets have hosted wideout Rome Odunze on a ‘top-30‘ visit already, and the same will soon be true of Malik Nabers. Each of those prospects could be selected before New York is on the clock, with the top three WRs (Odunze, Nabers and Marvin Harrison Jr.) expected to hear their names called within the top 10 picks. Bowers is similarly regarded as one of the best prospects in the class, but his position has led to a wide range of potential outcomes in terms of where he could wind up.
Notably, the Jets – a team which could stand to add help along the offensive line and has met with top tackle Joe Alt – could be open to a move down the board. Swapping out of the No. 10 selection would leave New York out of range for Alt and/or a few of the other members of a deep O-line class, but Bowers could remain an option depending on how far down the order the team would be moving. In any case, the latter will be expected to produce right away given his pedigree stemming from his time in college.
Bowers racked up 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns during his three-year tenure with the Bulldogs. He played a key role in the team winning the national title in 2021 and ’22, and in the latter campaign he earned first-team All-American honors. Bowers took home the John Mackey award as the nation’s top tight end in each of the past two seasons, making him the only multi-time winner.
As the Ringer’s Sheil Kapadia notes, though, Day 1 draft investments at the TE spot have generally not gone according to plan. Over the past 10 years, Kyle Pitts is the only one of the nine tight ends drafted in the first round to reach the 1,000-yard receiving mark. The Browns (David Njoku) are the only team to date to extend a homegrown player at the position during that span, although Pitts and 2023 Bills selection Dalton Kincaid are not yet eligible for a second contract.
In spite of that recent track record, Bowers will face high expectations upon arrival in the NFL. He could have a prominent role in the Jets’ offense in short order, but New York will have a number of other intriguing options to consider at No. 10 or a position lower on the board.
OL should be the focus. If it’s not that at 10, move back and collect picks.
Yeah, we had a discussion about Bowers in the Giants thread, but I think that the Jets are in a similar position here. Bowers would fill a glaring need and be a great addition; however, the presence of two older tackles who may miss time and the challenges spotlighted by last year’s debacle should make the biggest need apparent for the Jets. While I’d be very interested in seeing Rodgers utilize Bowers, the Jets are not a complete enough team to me to use their highest pick on a TE. Would it be productive? Probably. Would it be the best choice? I think we all know the answer to that.