How Georgia will offset the loss of Brock Bowers this upcoming season

Per usual, the Georgia Bulldogs lost a slew of players to the NFL Draft this offseason, but arguably none more important than tight end Brock Bowers. Who will go down as the best tight end in the program’s history and one of the best pass catchers to put on the red and black.

Replacing Bowers will be impossible this upcoming season as Georgia looks to maintain their three-year run of dominance. But Dawgs HQ‘s Jake Rowe believes that the Bulldogs have several players at the tight end position that could serve as a huge impact for UGA’s offense this year despite the loss of Bowers.

“I think Oscar Delp was kind of an underrated athlete. I think he’s very athletic,” Rowe told On3’s Andy Staples on Monday. “I mean coming out of high school man he was a little freaky. He was kind of a borderline tight end, but played some receiver stuff, had been a flex guy. He’s really put on weight and become like a full fledged tight end. But I really do believe that he’s going to be a big factor in this offense.”

“Delp was really good last year, just quietly,” Rowe added. “A couple, two or three, plays a game was really good when Brock Bowers was on the shelf last year, he did a really good job. So I think it’s his time now and he’s a much different player than than he was a couple of years ago when he kind of struggled with some drops and things like that.”

Delp is entering this third season with the Bulldogs, catching 29 passes for 345 yards and four touchdowns in his 27 game appearances (10 starts last season). With Rowe previously forecasting that Stanford transfer Ben Yurosek would lead that room in the passing game, recently changing his mind after watching how Delp has grown throughout the offseason and fall camp.

“But I still think Ben Yurosek is going to be a factor. I still think he’s going to do some really productive things for Georgia in the pass game,” Rowe said. “I think he’s going to give him kind of a downfield threat at that position, somebody they can flex out to maybe try to win one on one battles.

“I don’t know that they’re going to keep handing it to him like they did with Bowers and Stanford did with with with Yurosek. But they’re going to ask him to be a more complete tight end, and I think they’re going to take shots with him.”

Delp and Yurosek will be the tip of the spear for the Georgia tight end room, but how much depth the Bulldogs use beyond that will be fascinating to see this season. Showing in the past that they’re not afraid to unleash a slew of tight ends.

“Listen, when Georgia won it in 2021 they went four deep. It was Darnell Washington, it was Brock Bowers, it was John FitzPatrick, there was another guy in there. There was there was at least three or four guys in there and they’ll go, as many as four deep,” Rowe explained. “And when they do, you’re looking at maybe Jaden Reddell, one of the top tight ends in the country from this past year’s class. Probably the best athlete in that room maybe getting an opportunity as well.”

Rowe also mentioned Lawson Luckie as a player to watch, the tight end who he believes is the most similar to Bowers in Georgia’s room. As they’ll all collectively look to fill the hole left behind by Bowers this upcoming season.