Rookie standout reacts to historic season

The Las Vegas Raiders haven’t had much to celebrate this season from a team perspective. But perhaps their lone bright spot, rookie tight end Brock Bowers, capped off his excellent rookie season by breaking yet another NFL record.

Earlier this season, Bowers broke the longstanding record for rookie receiving yards in a season by a rookie tight end that was held by Hall of Fame tight end Mike Ditka.

That record obviously put him on a pedestal as one of the greatest rookie tight ends in recent memory. But in the team’s Week 17 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Bowers cemented himself as one of the best rookie pass-catchers at any position in recent memory.

In Sunday’s game, Bowers recorded seven catches for 77 yards, playing a key role in the team’s 25-10 win.

In the process, Bowers set a record for most catches in a season by any NFL rookie regardless of position, breaking the record of 105 receptions set by Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua last year.

After the game, Bowers discussed his record-breaking year, saying that he is “pretty shocked” by his superb stat line.

“I mean, it’s pretty awesome,” said Bowers via ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez. “It’s always been a childhood goal to play in the NFL, obviously, and then to come in here and be able to catch as many balls as I did and get as many yards as I did… It’s pretty shocking to me, I guess. It’s pretty cool.”

Bowers’ excellent play hasn’t led to many wins for the Raiders. After their win in Week 17, the Raiders moved to just 4-12 on the year.

However, Bowers has clearly cemented himself as a building block on offense for the Raiders, a team that has very few building blocks currently on their roster.

Clearly, great things are in Bowers’ future for years to come. And he will only look to build on his record in a Week 18 game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

[ESPN]