Back in April on Day 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft, the football world was surprised to see former Georgia Bulldogs tight end Brock Bowers fall out of the top 10 and land with the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 13 overall.
That’s because multiple reports, including one from A to Z Sports, had said that the Indianapolis Colts were trying to trade up from No. 15 overall to get Bowers.
More was revealed about those Bowers draft rumors on Tuesday afternoon when ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter joined the “Pac McAfee Show” where he backed up the report that the Colts, along with the Los Angeles Rams, were two teams attempting “to go get Bowers.”
“The Colts, I believe, were really interested in Brock Bowers,” Schefter said. “I think there were two teams that attempted to go up in the draft to try and go get Brock Bowers and that was the Colts and the Rams.
“Both teams were trying to get up there to get Bowers and they couldn’t do it. They kept trying and just didn’t happen. So, I think that was a play that interested both those franchises.”
Could Bowers Have Landed in the Top 10?
Someone originally told me from within the Bulldogs’ program that Indy was trying to make the jump into the top 10 for Bowers:
In fact, a source close to Georgia has shared with A to Z Sports that they are hearing the Colts are a team that’s looking to trade up into the top 10 for the former Bulldogs star.
Schefter did not confirm, nor deny, that the Colts or Rams wanted to jump into the top 10. However, Bowers, the best-ranked tight end from the draft class of 2024, was projected to go in the top 10 in nearly every NFL mock draft — another reason why many were surprised to see him go off the board later.
Bowers was also shocked when the Raiders selected him, admitting that he had very little contact with Vegas during the pre-draft process.
But you know who he did have a lot of pre-draft contact with Bowers? The Colts.
Bowers shared with A to Z Sports’ Colts beat writer Destin Adams at the NFL combine that he had a formal interview with 15-20 people from Indy’s front office in the room.
The Colts picked at No. 15 overall in the first round this year, which was ultimately out of reach for Bowers.
Now, one has to wonder what exactly the Colts were looking to give up for Bowers and if they’re going to regret not offering more down the road.
