In NFL Draft Deep with Tackles, Former GM Says Titans Could Pick Georgia Tight End Brock Bowers at No. 7

NASHVILLE — According to most NFL draft experts, the Tennessee Titans are expected to select Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt with the No. 7 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. However, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik has a different opinion. He believes that Georgia tight end Brock Bowers could be a potential candidate for the Titans if they decide not to go with Alt or a wide receiver.

"My dark horse is Brock Bowers. I'm a huge fan of Brock Bowers, and I think he's very low in a lot of peoples' mock drafts," Dominik said Thursday on a SiriusXM NFL Radio conference call. "I think he is going to go easily in the top 10, in my opinion. And so, I think if he is available, that's the direction I would go (and then come back in the second round and take the tackle in the second round because the tackle draft class is a lot stronger. I think there's going to be eight to 10 tackles taken in the top 50-60 players."

Dominik began his career in the pro personnel department with the Kansas City Chiefs for a little over a year. He then spent the next 19 years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he climbed the ranks to eventually become the Bucs' general manager for five seasons. Currently, he is a draft analyst for SiriusXM NFL Radio and SiriusXM College Sports Radio, providing event coverage. 

Dominik is of the opinion that the Titans have a strong group of receivers consisting of Calvin Ridley and DeAndre Hopkins. He also believes in Treylon Burks' abilities. Dominik's reasoning is based on the fact that the Titans already possess talented receivers and there are many skilled tackles available in the draft.

"If I can walk out with Bowers and still end up with a tackle like (Oklahoma's Tyler) Guyton that I like, that I trust, that I could play out there Week One, or a Patrick Paul (from Houston) or Jordan Morgan (from Arizona), that feels better than the opposite where maybe I get (Texas tight end Ja'Tavion) Sanders, because there's only two tight ends in this class that are going to go high, and Alt. Alt is very safe, as we all know, and there is nothing wrong with that. But I feel like my combination of Brock and that fifth tackle or, sixth tackle, or seventh tackle on the board will be more powerful for this team."

At Georgia, Bowers set SEC records for tight ends for most receptions (175), receiving yards (2,538), and receiving touchdowns (26) while winning two national titles. He's also the first two-time winner of the John Mackey award that goes to nation's best tight end. Dominik believes Bowers can be the rare tight end that's worth taking with a top-10 pick. He sees Bowers as a classic safety blanket for second-year quarterback Will Levis. 

"I think for a young quarterback to have that tight end that says, 'Hey, I can run screens.' We're not protecting very well, and I could just dump the ball off here all day long and get six, seven, eight yards. I think it just makes a lot of sense."

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