Raiders TE Brock Bowers, Giants WR Malik Nabers battle for rookie receptions record

By breaking their 10-game losing streak on Sunday, the Raiders knocked themselves down from No. 1 to No. 6 in the current draft order. But no matter where they wind up, they'll be hard-pressed to get as much from their next first-round pick as they've gotten from tight end Brock Bowers, the 13th overall pick this year.

Washington's Jayden Daniels has all but locked up NFL Rookie of the Year honors, but from a historical perspective, he can't make the same claim Bowers can: the best rookie season ever at his position.

On Sunday, Bowers became just the fourth player ever — at any position — to reach 100 receptions as a rookie. And with two games left to play, he's only four behind the NFL rookie record of 105 catches, set by Rams receiver Puka Nacua last season. With 1,067 receiving yards, Bowers needs just 10 more to catch Hall of Famer Mike Ditka's rookie tight end record of 1,076, a mark that has stood since 1961.

It's also entirely possible that Bowers could have that rookie receptions record for only a few minutes. Just as he's four catches behind Nacua's record, Giants rookie receiver Malik Nabers is only four catches behind Bowers. Both rookies have put up their numbers despite catching passes from three different quarterbacks, so their second-year production could increase just from likely upgrades at QB.

Nabers is closing in on another prolific rookie record: Nacua's catch mark was set on 160 targets, but Nabers is already at 154, putting him on pace to break the rookie record of 167, set by New England's Terry Glenn in 1996. Both Bowers and Nabers (1,088) are on course to finish in the top 10 all time for receiving yards by a rookie.

Rookie QBs continue prolific pace

Remember back in Week 6 when this year's