Unpopular Opinion: You will waste your premium 1st round pick on Brock Bowers.

[MacDaddy123]

Well IMO, the Pitts comparison is just lazy, as Bowers value is all about production on the field, while Pitts was basically a combine made prospect, similar to Anthony Richardson.

770 yards and 12 touchdowns in 8 games in the SEC as a 20 year old Jr. doesn't impress you, huh?

Fair enough, do continue...

3 years of production for Pitts and Bowers:

Pitts: 100 catches, 1,492 receiving yards, 18 TD's
Bowers: 175 catches, 2,538 receiving yards, 26 TD's

I'll give you a few minutes to run the numbers.

[mild]

Well IMO, the Pitts comparison is just lazy, as Bowers value is all about production on the field, while Pitts was basically a combine made prospect, similar to Anthony Richardson.

770 yards and 12 touchdowns in 8 games in the SEC as a 20 year old Jr. doesn't impress you, huh?

Fair enough, do continue...

3 years of production for Pitts and Bowers:

Pitts: 100 catches, 1,492 receiving yards, 18 TD's, 24 games played
Bowers: 175 catches, 2,538 receiving yards, 26 TD's, 40 games played

I'll give you a few minutes to run the numbers.

Yep, fixed that for you.

Those numbers looking about right for you?

"Gather round children... it's time for Grandpa to tell you about a little bug that could named COVID-19, and how it shut down the world..."

[remedy29]

Well IMO, the Pitts comparison is just lazy, as Bowers value is all about production on the field, while Pitts was basically a combine made prospect, similar to Anthony Richardson.
Now this doesn't mean that Pitts and ARich can't succeed, but for me, the game film speaks much louder than athletic testing scores.
Bowers popped off the screen as a true freshman.

Sure, landing spot is critical, as it is with most players. I don't expect Bowers to have a better rookie season that LaPorta, but he is a damn good weapon in the TE slot.

This is some revisionist history right here. Pitts had major production in the SEC, with 770 yards abd 12 TD's in 8, yes, that's right, 8 games.

That's a shade under 100 ypg, and 1.5 TD's per game!!!!

Bowers had similar stats as a junior (882 yards and 13 TD's), but it took him 15 games to do that.

He also had a good sophomore year (54/649/5), at basically the same age as when Bowers was a freshman, as Bowers was almost a full year older than Pitts when starting college.

The most glaring error in this remark, however, is the fact that there were NO ON FIELD WORKOUTS at the 2021 combine, due to the pandemic. The combine was basically non existent for prospects coming into the limelight.

Agree, Pitts was an unanimous all-american athlete his junior year. Pretty sure that had nothing to do with the combine. Oh, and he is 6-6.

But those stats you cite for Bowers, the 882, 13 TDs in 15 games, was Bowers freshman season in 2021.

[Dynasty DeLorean]

Well IMO, the Pitts comparison is just lazy, as Bowers value is all about production on the field, while Pitts was basically a combine made prospect, similar to Anthony Richardson.

770 yards and 12 touchdowns in 8 games in the SEC as a 20 year old Jr. doesn't impress you, huh?

Fair enough, do continue...

Yeah Pitts was not a combine made prospect, that is a ludicrous statement. He was hyped to the moon well before the combine.

[Dynasty DeLorean]

I think you’re misremembering Hockenson pretty badly, so I’m not sure how accurate you are on the rest.

No I drafted a lotta him he pretty much exclusively finished as a mid to low TE 1 so startable but firmly in the replaceable tier. and just checked the numbers, was off by a year but before going to MIN he averaged 44 ypg and .33 tds per game. Again not a bust but calling that a hit is bold

In our 1.5 TEP league ppw scoring:

Year 1 nothing
Year 2 TE7
Year 3 TE6
Year 4 TE2
Year 5 TE2

Don’t you think your bar might be a little high? That looks like a pretty good return on a 1st round FF pick to me. Yeah, I call that a hit and I don’t feel bold at all in doing so.

Yeah, and just in general, Hockenson looked legit on the field as a rookie. He just suffered some unfortunate injuries that never really allowed him to put a complete healthy season together for a while.

[Jigga94]

Not another 1st rd TE thread

[mild]

Not another 1st rd TE thread

Sorry bud, it had to be done

"The 1st Round TE threads will continue until morale improves"

[Bronco Billy]

Not another 1st rd TE thread

Lots of people fall head over heels in love with the unicorn right up until they’ve been in the NFL for a bit and the league shows everyone that maybe the guy wasn’t a unicorn after all.

I do agree with the premise of the OP though, but then I evaluate TEs differently than a lot of people. Hockenson is the only TE I’ve ever burned a 1st round FF pick on and I’m usually drawn to the Kittles of the league.

Speaking of which - now that Waller has hung up his cleats, people ought to have their radar out on Bellinger. He’s got that kind of profile and flashed as a rookie before he got hurt, and now he’s entering his third year in the league. If he’s not on your roster it might be worth throwing a less than premium pick out into that pond. Schoonmaker is another young TE that you might get cheap since Ferguson showed solid last year. This year I’ve got a very close eye on Theo Johnson.

[mild]

Speaking of which - now that Waller has hung up his cleats, people ought to have their radar out on Bellinger. He’s got that kind of profile and flashed as a rookie before he got hurt, and now he’s entering his third year in the league. If he’s not on your roster it might be worth throwing a less than premium pick out into that pond. Schoonmaker is another young TE that you might get cheap since Ferguson showed solid last year. This year I’ve got a very close eye on Theo Johnson.

Giants fan here. Maybe I've missed it (and I did just check again) but there's no announcement from Waller and all reports are that he's likely back for 2024 and was merely "contemplating" retirement.

Agree that Bellinger is a great speculative pickup regardless, though.

[FantasyFreak]

Well IMO, the Pitts comparison is just lazy, as Bowers value is all about production on the field, while Pitts was basically a combine made prospect, similar to Anthony Richardson.
Now this doesn't mean that Pitts and ARich can't succeed, but for me, the game film speaks much louder than athletic testing scores.
Bowers popped off the screen as a true freshman.

Sure, landing spot is critical, as it is with most players. I don't expect Bowers to have a better rookie season that LaPorta, but he is a damn good weapon in the TE slot.

This is some revisionist history right here. Pitts had major production in the SEC, with 770 yards abd 12 TD's in 8, yes, that's right, 8 games.

That's a shade under 100 ypg, and 1.5 TD's per game!!!!

Bowers had similar stats as a junior (882 yards and 13 TD's), but it took him 15 games to do that.

He also had a good sophomore year (54/649/5), at basically the same age as when Bowers was a freshman, as Bowers was almost a full year older than Pitts when starting college.

The most glaring error in this remark, however, is the fact that there were NO ON FIELD WORKOUTS at the 2021 combine, due to the pandemic. The combine was basically non existent for prospects coming into the limelight.

Agree, Pitts was an unanimous all-american athlete his junior year. Pretty sure that had nothing to do with the combine. Oh, and he is 6-6.

But those stats you cite for Bowers, the 882, 13 TDs in 15 games, was Bowers freshman season in 2021.

My bad on that one with Bowers stats.

To be clear, I'm not saying I'm not impressed with Bowers, but Pitts intrigue and NFL interest was due to his play on the field.

The statement that Pitts was "basically a combine made prospect" is just plain wrong.

There was no combine workouts, so he's certainly not a combine riser. He ran a really good 40 at his pro day, that was of course video recorded. The entire testing that year was taken with a huge grain of salt. It was the year guys couldn't be combine risers, like most years.

Draft stock was almost totally due to play on the field, more so than any other year, basically, as the pandemic destroyed most of the avenues for players to gain stock, the combine being the biggest one.

[MacDaddy123]

770 yards and 12 touchdowns in 8 games in the SEC as a 20 year old Jr. doesn't impress you, huh?

Fair enough, do continue...

3 years of production for Pitts and Bowers:

Pitts: 100 catches, 1,492 receiving yards, 18 TD's, 24 games played
Bowers: 175 catches, 2,538 receiving yards, 26 TD's, 40 games played

I'll give you a few minutes to run the numbers.

Yep, fixed that for you.

Those numbers looking about right for you?

"Gather round children... it's time for Grandpa to tell you about a little bug that could named COVID-19, and how it shut down the world..."

So Bowers should be penalized because he played 15 games as a true freshman while Pitts only played in 3 games (2018, no Covid excuse)?
Playing in more games earlier, having an earlier breakout age is now a negative......okay.

[DJB]

Would anyone trade Hockenson for Bowers or vice versa?

[mild]

3 years of production for Pitts and Bowers:

Pitts: 100 catches, 1,492 receiving yards, 18 TD's, 24 games played
Bowers: 175 catches, 2,538 receiving yards, 26 TD's, 40 games played

I'll give you a few minutes to run the numbers.

Yep, fixed that for you.

Those numbers looking about right for you?

"Gather round children... it's time for Grandpa to tell you about a little bug that could named COVID-19, and how it shut down the world..."

So Bowers should be penalized because he played 15 games as a true freshman while Pitts only played in 3 games (2018, no Covid excuse)?
Playing in more games earlier, having an earlier breakout age is now a negative......okay.

My brother in Christ: nobody is taking anything away from Bowers excellent stats, nor penalising him for playing more games.

You literally called Pitts a combine product, claiming what he did on the field was secondary to your view of "draft season / combine hype" and that his on-field performance was unimpressive.

Leaving aside, of course, that they canceled the 2021 Combine the year Pitts declared due to COVID...

Pitts literally performed just like Bowers on a per-game basis in College. Even his TD rate was higher. I'll give you a minute to run the numbers.

Honestly? I think you know your argument just got wrecked and now you're trying to make it about something different just to save face.

Eat Arby's.

[Shcritters]

Would anyone trade Hockenson for Bowers or vice versa?

Depending on if/who MN gets at QB and where Bowers lands I would do that.

If MN takes a high upside QB and Bowers lands in a good spot then I could see him being ranked higher. It would take guts to do that now before those things clear up… but sometimes you need to gamble.

[TheTroll]

Would anyone trade Hockenson for Bowers or vice versa?

Depending on if/who MN gets at QB and where Bowers lands I would do that.

If MN takes a high upside QB and Bowers lands in a good spot then I could see him being ranked higher. It would take guts to do that now before those things clear up… but sometimes you need to gamble.

agree, now is an unecessary risk