Eighty-nine days remain until the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, Pa., scheduled for April 23-25, 2026. After a 3-14 season in 2025, the Las Vegas Raiders hold the No. 1 overall pick. Dice City Sports is counting down by highlighting the best Raiders to wear each jersey number. Today, January 24, the number is 89.
Brock Bowers, No. 89
Brock Bowers did not take long to make No. 89 his. Through two seasons, the Raiders tight end has played 29 games and already piled up 176 catches for 1,874 yards and 12 touchdowns.
His 2025 line shows how steady the production has been even as defenses adjusted. In 12 games, Bowers caught 64 passes for 680 yards and seven scores, giving Las Vegas a dependable middle-of-the-field target and a red-zone finisher.
176 catches in 29 games is the separator.
Draft and background
Bowers was born December 13, 2002, and starred at Napa High School in Napa, Calif. He went on to Georgia before the Raiders drafted him in the first round, 13th overall, in 2024. At 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, he arrived as a matchup piece, then quickly turned into a weekly focal point. He has already earned two Pro Bowl selections and one All-Pro nod. That offseason, Raider’s fans wanted to draft a QB, but when all were taken ahead of the Las Vegas pick in the first round, the team took the best player still available. It paid off.
Why it is not Amari Cooper
Amari Cooper has the longer résumé and his 2015-2018 run set a real standard at No. 89, but his Raiders story ended early when the Raiders traded him to Dallas in October 2018. Bowers, meanwhile, is already producing at a rare pace for a tight end and his best football in Silver and Black is still ahead.
Cooper’s late reunion in 2025 never materialized. The Raiders announced his signing in August 2025, then he retired days later. Copper was a dog. Bowers is the future.
Other notable No. 89s
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Amari Cooper, 2015-2018
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Ronald Curry, 2003-2008
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Bill Miller, 1964-1968
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Alexander Wright, 1992-1994
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Bryan Edwards, 2020-2021
Career check
Bowers is early in his NFL run, but his résumé is already rare for a tight end. Twenty-nine games, 176 catches, 1,874 yards and 12 touchdowns is a foundation that makes No. 89 his number in Las Vegas right now.
Next up tomorrow: No. 88.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
