Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers set a record for most catches in a game by a rookie tight end in Sunday’s 34–19 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Bowers grabbed 13 receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown. That surpasses the 12 catches Mark Bavaro had on Oct. 13, 1985, during his rookie season for the New York Giants.
Sunday’s performance gave Bowers 57 catches (for 580 yards) in the Raiders’ first 10 games. With seven games remaining on the regular season schedule, Bowers has a chance at the record for most catches in a season by a rookie tight end, set last year by the Detroit Lions’ Sam LaPorta with 86.
Bowers also has a shot at the most yards for a season by a rookie tight end — Mike Ditka’s 1.076 during the 1961 season. But he might have to pick up his production a bit to overtake that mark. The other rookie tight end to surpass 1,000 yards in a season was the Atlanta Falcons’ Kyle Pitts in 2021.
After an outstanding career at Georgia during which he caught 175 passes for 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns, Bowers was viewed as a top NFL prospect at tight end. The Raiders made him their first-round pick (No. 13 overall) in the 2024 NFL Draft and he’s fulfilled expectations thus far.