NFL Combine: Brock Bowers Wants to Follow Rob Gronkowski’s NFL Path

The former Georgia tight end is recovering from ankle surgery and working on his secondary blocking skills ahead of the NFL draft.

You never know how the NFL draft process will play out with its many twists and turns, and for elite tight end prospect Brock Bowers, his NFL Scouting Combine prep included some roasting from friends in a group chat after a viral photo of him and Rob Gronkowski emerged during Super Bowl week.

Rob Gronkowski hanging with the top tight end in this year’s draft class Brock Bowers. pic.twitter.com/k6t0RQTiXs

— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) February 7, 2024

The crux of the issue was how small Bowers appeared next to the future Hall of Famer, though further clarity from his mother proved that the former Georgia Bulldog was a victim of a poor angle more than anything else.

What a day! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/a03iXjelyR

— DeAnnaEarsleyBowers (@dew1162) February 9, 2024

No doubt Bowers has had dreams of reaching Gronk’s lofty achievements at his position, but tight ends have a notoriously steep learning curve when they enter the league largely due to the dual nature of the modern tight end needing to block and be a part of the passing game. Members of last year’s rookie tight end class made things look easy as Sam LaPorta, Dalton Kincaid and Michael Mayer proved to be key early contributors.

“It’s exciting to see those young guys balling out because, obviously, my rookie year is coming up. I’d like to do the same thing, so it’d be good to kind of learn from those dudes and what they did and what worked well,” Bowers said.

There is no doubt about Bowers’s prowess as a pass catcher. He totaled 714 yards on 56 catches last season despite being hampered by a late-season high ankle sprain that forced him to have tightrope surgery and miss games. He played at below 100% upon his return and opted out of Georgia’s bowl game. Teams have obviously asked about how his ankle is holding up; Bowers said that he’s had X-rays and MRIs on the ankle as usual. Whether he works out or not will be a personal decision.

Bowers has had plenty of success in Indianapolis, winning the 2021 national championship there when Georgia triumphed over the Alabama Crimson Tide.

“[The national title win] was the first thing I thought about when I walked through those doors into Lucas Oil [Stadium]. Looks a lot bigger from the stands than on the field,” he said.

Bowers is working on his secondary blocking skills to be a more well-rounded player. He’s a good enough receiver and route runner to have been counted on as a legitimate slot threat for the Dawgs and he’ll likely be used in the NFL that way, but also as a run blocker. He said he’s working on adjusting while engaged in a block to better counter defenders. Bowers is the archetype of the modern tight end, but improving on his blocking will take his game to the next level and truly make him able to fill Gronkowski’s sizable shoes.