2024 Colts Draft: Brock Bowers a No-Brainer if He Falls

The Indianapolis Colts are just under 10 days away from making their first selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. The team has plenty of options to consider in round one of this draft, with the 15th pick being in the sweet spot for a top talent falling into their lap. One such talent could be Georgia tight end Brock Bowers. 

Bowers is one of the more accomplished tight ends in the history of college football. He is the only two-time John Mackey Award winner in history and was a two-time National Champion with the Georgia Bulldogs. Despite only playing at the college level for three seasons, Bowers finished his college career with an astounding 2,541 yards receiving and 26 touchdowns. 

Despite all this collegiate success, Bowers has been projected to fall out of the top ten of the 2024 draft, with ESPN analyst Adam Schefter projecting the star to fall somewhere in the 10-16 range come draft night. With the Colts selecting at 15th overall, they could be in a prime position to take the legendary college tight end:

Bowers is the dream selection at 15 for many Colts’ fans, but is the hype warranted? Does he fit into the style of offense that the Colts deploy? Let’s dive into some film and find out.

Shane Steichen’s History at Tight End

Colts’ Head Coach Shane Steichen has been a play caller in the NFL since the 2020 season (with the Los Angeles Chargers). In his time as a play caller, last season with the Colts was the lone time he didn’t have a tight end finish in the top 15 in the NFL in receptions/targets in a season. In his three years as a play caller prior to Indy, he had a starting tight end reach at least 60 receptions in every season. His leading pass catcher at the position last season had just 30 (Kylen Granson). 

Part of this fall off was due to injury (projected starter Jelani Woods missed the entire season) and another part of it was by design. The Colts lacked that true difference maker at the position, so the tight end spot was essentially neglected as an option in some weeks. There were a few bright spots throughout the year, but the position as a whole underproduced even when combining the production of the four players that saw snaps at tight end last year. 

Steichen’s offensive scheme in both Philadelphia and in Los Angeles was heavily reliant on a star tight end that could move the chains and create after the catch. Dallas Goedert emerged as a legit top pass catching option in the league under Steichen, totaling 1,765 yards in his two seasons under the Colts’ head coach in Philly (Goedert has just 2,171 yards receiving in four seasons without Steichen calling plays).

The Colts could roll with the committee approach yet again in 2024 but, in Steichen’s ideal world, I think he would like to get his hands on a tight end capable of more than just a rotational role for next season.

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The Strengths of Bowers

Bowers produced at a high level all three seasons that he played at Georgia. The fascinating aspect of his game is not the fact that he was consistent in his production, but the ways that he won throughout his career. With Stetson Bennett as the quarterback from 2021-2022, Bowers was used as more of a downfield threat. His vertical prowess created big plays off of play action with Bennett throwing the ball. 

With Carson Beck as the starter this past season, the Bulldogs relied on Bowers for his ability after the catch. His targets became closer to the line of scrimmage and he was asked to do more with the ball in his hands rather than working vertically down the field. Looking at these seasons individually may lead to some skepticism around his full game, but looking at the body of work paints a great picture of what he can do at the next level. 

Bowers is a skilled pass catcher capable of being the driver of an offense or being the auxiliary support. He can be an underneath YAC guy capable of creating yardage or he can be the go-to player on big downs. He showcased this ability throughout his college tape. That versatility would slide in perfectly with a skilled play caller such as Steichen. 

Steichen’s bread and butter is the RPO pass game, and Bowers basically lived in that world last season. Roughly 62% of Bowers’ total targets a year ago came with an average depth of under 10 yards, with most of those targets coming behind the line of scrimmage. Bowers made the most of these opportunities, forcing 18 missed tackles and creating 486 yards after the catch. 

Compare that to the Colts’ tight end group last season (just four missed tackles forced and 329 yards created after the catch last season) and it’s easy to see how Bowers would upgrade the Colts’ passing game from day one:

Bowers has played a ton of football in his career, and that experience shows on film. He understands how to find gaps in the defense and can create space for himself over the middle of the field simply by sliding into open windows. 

The Colts number one way to use the tight end position is as a pace-setter over the middle of the field. Steichen will use these tight end sit routes to test zone coverage, and these simple completions create positive yardage for the offense while keeping the quarterback in rhythm. 

Bowers’ feel for spacing and his vertical speed threat would create more than enough separation on these plays to work in Steichen’s offense: 

Bowers’ ability in the RPO and the underneath game would accentuate an already existing aspect of the Colts’ offense, but what about bringing something new to the table? Bowers’ ability as a vertical threat shouldn’t be slept on, even if he wasn’t asked to do it as much last season. 

Last season, Bowers caught 11 of 15 targets over the middle of the field with an average air target depth greater than 10 yards. He converted those catches for 275 yards and three touchdowns. In 2022, when he was used more in the vertical game, he caught 19 of 26 targets in that area of the field for 443 yards and two touchdowns. The Colts’ entire tight end room as a whole last season caught just nine of 15 such targets last year for a total of 169 yards receiving. 

The spacing will obviously condense a little bit more at the next level, but Bowers has shown the ability to be an elite creator with the ball in his hands and a player that can work vertically down the middle of the field. The Colts simply didn’t have that element at the position last season, which makes Bowers even more intriguing as a fit early in the draft:

One final note I want to dive into with Bowers is his ability as a run blocker. This has been a common knock on him in the pre-draft process and can be a bit concerning when projecting his fit to the NFL game. To me, the way the Colts use their tight ends in the run game is perfectly suited for how Bowers wins as a blocker. 

As an in-line run blocker, Bowers leaves much to be desired. He brings the effort and the tenacity needed, but he lacks the strength and the technique to be a plus player in this position. He simply isn’t good enough (yet) as an in-line blocker. Where he shines though is out in space. His athletic ability and his willingness as a blocker makes him an excellent asset on the move out in front of ball carriers in space. 

The Colts’ offense is built around plays that use tight ends like this. Steichen deploys tight ends in the sniffer role and mixes in a good bit of wham, toss, and misdirection in the run game. The way that he uses his tight ends – especially his pass catching tight ends – in the run game hides them from difficult assignments inside and plays to their strength on the outside. 

The Colts’ shotgun-heavy run game is well suited for the type of blocker that Bowers is. He may be a liability for some teams considering him high in this draft, but for the Colts he would be an asset in this area. 

The Bottom Line

Bowers would be the ideal pick at 15 for the Colts. His ability after the catch would give the Colts some much needed juice in the quick passing game and his added vertical ability would threaten the middle of the field much more efficiently than the Colts’ tight end room did a year ago. 

The Colts are also well suited to let Bowers be the dominant tight end he is destined to be. Steichen has a history of creating production at the position and a talent like Bowers would be a player that he could turn into a near 1,000 yard threat early in his career. Bowers isn't just a great fit for the Colts, the Colts are a great fit for Bowers. 

Overall, I’d expect Bowers to be on the Colts’ shortlist at 15 come draft time. There is a very real possibility that he is selected before the Colts’ pick (watch out for the Denver Broncos), but if he does make it to 15, the Colts would be adding a true difference maker on offense in round one. 

Learn more about Bowers and many, many more prospects by ordering the Indy Draft Guide!

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