The Las Vegas Raiders are not a rebuilding team; they have made it clear: They are a reloading team.
After multiple years of faltering in the NFL Draft, the last three years have brought steady improvement and fresh young talent.
Our latest Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast episode examines perhaps the team's weakest part: the cornerback room. While there is a lack of depth, the Silver and Black have talent at that position.
Last season, the sensational Brock Bowers, the powerful and gifted tight end from the Georgia Bulldogs, was the best rookie in the entire league.
Bowers spoke after a recent OTA practice, and below is a partial transcript of what he said.
Tight End Brock Bowers
Q: Coach Carroll was pretty proud of one of the catches you made out there. Can you tell us about it?
Bowers: “Oh yeah. It got tipped and I thought I scooped it off the ground, but the ref, he said, I didn't.”
Q: You got here a little bit late because you got your college degree, but you’ve stepped into this new Pete Carroll culture. What have you made of it so far?
Bowers: “It's been awesome. Just the energy in the in the team meetings and the energy out of practice, it's been pretty fun.”
Q: Why was it so important for you to finish your degree by going back to school and completing your process over there?
Bowers: “Yeah, I think it was just being able to finish what I started over there. And I knew after this year it'd be really tough to go back. Also, my parents kind of wanted me to go and finish up too. That was part of it.”
Q: Now that you’ve had some time to work with Geno Smith, what are some things you like about his game?
Bowers: “Yeah, I mean, he throws really good ball. He seems super smart. So, I've really enjoyed getting to know him a little bit and playing with him out there.”
Q: Going back to your graduation, what did it actually feel like kind of walking across the stage and being a part of that?
Bowers: “It was cool. I mean, just being able to get it done and know that I kind of never really have to go back to school again, it's kind of nice. I never have to do a test for school if I don't want to, so that was, for sure, pretty nice.”
Q: Where do you see the next step in your development, especially after the year you had last year? Like, how do you now make that next step, especially after that kind of year?
Bowers: “Yeah, I think something that I kind of focus on is, I still feel like I'm losing some reps. Obviously you’re going to lose some because it's professional football and everyone's really good. So when I’m out there, I just want to try to win every single rep that I can and really try to push myself to be the best I can every rep.”
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