The Raiders ruined the plans of the Rams, Colts to trade up in the first round

The Las Vegas Raiders turned a few heads in the first round of the NFL Draft, selecting Georgia Bulldogs tight end Brock Bowers despite expending a second-round pick on Michael Mayer in the 2023 draft. Bowers was widely considered the best player available, though, and Raiders GM Tom Telesco has a reputation for thinking big-picture, long-term with his picks.

Bowers was highly coveted around the league despite the challenges of evaluating his position. He lacks size compared to other elite tight-end prospects, but Bowers checks every other box. He's a nimble athlete in the open field, strong on 50-50 catches, and highly impactful as a blocker despite his "small" 6-foot-4, 230-pound frame.

He's a versatile pass-catcher, comfortable lining up all over the formation. The Raiders can deploy two tight ends, as expected, or perhaps Mayer gets traded to further improve Las Vegas' asset cache.

In selecting Bowers, however, the Raiders dashed the dreams of a couple of front offices around the league. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Los Angeles Rams and Indianapolis Colts were both calling teams about trading up in the first round. Those calls stopped once Bowers was off the board.

A coincidence, I think not.

Rams, Colts stopped trying to trade up in NFL Draft after Raiders picked Brock Bowers

We knew the Rams were interested in Bowers ahead of time, with wild rumors suggesting that even Cooper Kupp was on the table in a potential trade-up to land the 21-year-old. Ultimately, however, it was not meant to be.

The Rams finished last season 10-7, still very much in the thick of NFC contention. With Aaron Donald's retirement, however, it's unclear how much longer Los Angeles can maintain relevance. That would not dull Matthew Stafford's excitement to land a fellow Dawg and another talented pass-catcher. Bowers also has extensive experience catching passes from Los Angeles' QB2, two-time UGA champ Stetson Bennett.

Alas, the Rams smartly went for defense with the No. 19 pick, drafting Florida State EDGE Jared Verse.

Indianapolis' interest in Bowers shouldn't come as a surprise either. The Colts were a popular landing spot for Bowers in mock drafts. As Anthony Richardson looks to take his next step as an NFL sophomore, he would have benefited from Bowers' red zone utility and explosive playmaking. The UGA-Florida connection was a potential sore spot, but hey, they would've gotten over it.

Again, though, it was not meant to be. The Colts also went for defense, spending the No. 15 pick on UCLA EDGE Laiatu Latu. Another great pick, honestly, and one that addresses a more serious area of need.

The Raiders could have received a nice haul to move back and address a more pressing weakness, but Bowers' talent and potential for immediate impact should help assuage concerns fairly quickly. Operating in tandem with Davante Adams, Bowers will make life easier for Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell.