Tight end Eli Stowers set career highs with 62 catches and 769 receiving yards at Vanderbilt in 2025. Kenneth Richmond / Getty Images
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The Philadelphia Eagles selected Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers with the No. 54 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Stowers was the No. 2-ranked tight end in “The Beast.”
Originally recruited as a college quarterback, Stowers began his college career at Texas A&M. Multiple shoulder injuries forced him to change positions and become a tight end. After two years at Texas A&M, Stowers managed to get his collegiate career rolling at New Mexico State in 2023, where his quarterback was Diego Pavia. Stowers and Pavia both transferred to Vanderbilt in 2024 and spent the past two seasons together. Stowers has steadily improved in each of the last three seasons, going from 35 catches in 2023 to 49 in 2024 and 62 in 2025. His 769 receiving yards last year were a career best. Stowers was a first-team All-SEC pick in 2024 and became a first-team All-American and the Mackey Award winner in 2025.
Stowers is a good athlete, so the receiving game came fairly naturally in his transition from quarterback to tight end. Stowers’ 64.1 receiving yards per game led all FBS tight ends in 2025. However, he still has work to do as a blocker, especially as the defenders get faster and stronger at the NFL level. His large frame still offers some room to add mass and grow stronger, which should help his blocking as well as make him a bigger target in the receiving game.
‘The Beast’ breakdown
Stowers ranked No. 63 in Dane Brugler’s top 300 big board. Here’s what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide:
“An above-average athlete for the position, Stowers attacks defenders’ techniques and uses his quickness to consistently win one-on-one on slants, digs or seam balls. Because of the quarterback and scheme at Vanderbilt, he was asked to use his burst for quick windows and is unproven in other areas, although he has the speed to be more of a deep threat in a pro-style scheme. He delivered mixed results when asked to attack in traffic, but he has reliable hands and fluid adjustment skills. As a blocker, he has questionable physicality and sustain strength but competes when sealing or walling off defenders.”
Coaching intel
What an anonymous coach had to say about Stowers in Bruce Feldman’s mock draft:
“Linebackers can’t cover this guy,” said an SEC DC. “His athleticism is rare, and he can really go get the ball. He also tracks the ball really well.”
Come back later for more analysis of Stowers.
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