Eli Stowers 2026 NFL Draft Profile

Eli Stowers was one of the most productive tight ends in all of college football in 2025, and his scouting report looks at how productive he might be in the NFL.

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Eli Stowers 2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Measurables:

Height- 6’4″

Weight- 239 lbs

Background:

Stowers is a former four-star quarterback recruit. He committed to Texas A&M and appeared in five games over two seasons before transferring to New Mexico State in 2023. Stowers moved to tight end at New Mexico State and made an immediate impact at his new position. He finished top three on the team in both receptions and receiving yards, helping New Mexico State win the second-most games in a single season in program history with a 10-5 record.

He then transferred to Vanderbilt and earned All-SEC First Team honors in his first season with the team. In 2025, Stowers once again improved his production with 62 receptions and 769 receiving yards. He won the John Mackey Award for best tight end in college football, was a consensus All-American, and won the William V. Campbell Trophy.

Strengths:

Stowers is an incredible athlete who has elite top-end speed and explosiveness for the position. Stowers stands out with his receiving ability and for the receiving production he had at Vanderbilt. He has three years of great receiving production in college. Ranked in the top 10 for tight end receiving yards in all of college football each of his last two seasons, and was the No. 1 receiving yards leader among all tight ends in 2025.

Stowers is a reliable receiver and a natural hands catcher who can bring the ball in away from his frame. He has big-play ability and is able to create separation against both man coverage and zone coverage. Does a good job finding soft spots in zone coverage and is a solid route runner. After the catch, he is tough to bring down with a good combination of power, contact balance, speed, and elusiveness.

Weaknesses:

Stowers is an undersized tight end, and he will need to improve his play strength at the next level. Stowers is not a strong in-line blocker. While he is a willing blocker, Stowers doesn’t have the power at the point of attack to be a consistently good blocker in the NFL right now. He can struggle at times against physical coverage. Stowers did not have a great contested catch rate during his college career.

Potential Team Fits:

Denver Broncos

Miami Dolphins

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

NFL Projection:

Stowers is one of the most athletic tight ends in this year’s draft class, and maybe the best receiver at the tight end position as well. He is not currently an all-around tight end prospect with good blocking ability, but he is a reliable pass catcher who has great run-after-the-catch ability and big-play ability. With his athleticism and receiving skills, Stowers has the potential to be productive mismatch weapon for an offense in the NFL.

2026 NFL Draft Big Board

Prospect Grade:

Late Second Round