Did the Eagles Make a Mistake Drafting Eli Stowers?

In the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles selected tight end Eli Stowers. After the first three weeks of the season, the Eagles’ roster weaknesses have become apparent, raising questions about whether Philadelphia made the right decision with the pick. While Stowers has shown flashes of potential, concerns about his game have led some to wonder whether Philadelphia could have gotten more value elsewhere in the draft.

Coming off a John Mackey Award-winning, unanimous All-American season at Vanderbilt, Stowers was viewed as a tight end with wide receiver skills that would be an immediate weapon for Jalen Hurts downfield. However, that has not been the case, with Stowers struggling to create separation off the line of scrimmage. He currently sits on the injured reserve list dealing with hamstring and quadriceps injuries, not yet making his Eagles debut.

While Howie Roseman has a history of drafting trench players to develop for the future regardless of preexisting roster depth, selecting Stowers in the moment did not feel like a win-now move. It would have made more sense if the tight end room was a major position of need, but just over a month prior to the NFL draft, the Eagles re-signed Dallas Goedert to another extension, who has played an instrumental part in the Eagles offensive success.

Furthermore, while the Eagles did need a secondary tight end, they specifically needed a reliable blocker, an element missing from the unit since Jack Stoll’s departure. Stowers fails to address that need, as blocking remains a primary weakness in his game that has only been further exposed against NFL-level competition.

Many Eagles fans were calling on Roseman to draft a safety. Long-time starter Reed Blankenship had signed with the Houston Texans, leaving Drew Mukuba and Marcus Epps as the team’s primary options — an unproven player entering his second season and a veteran who struggled in pass coverage, respectively.

However, the Eagles did not address a clear position of need until the back half of the draft, selecting players who did not make the 53-man roster. Through the first three weeks of the season, the Eagles are dealing with the consequences of their own actions, with poor play by Mukuba and Epps, who are consistently out of position, allowing big gains through the air and on the ground.

Going through every player drafted after Stowers and evaluating their fit with the Eagles is a futile activity, but Emmanuel McNeil-Warren is a name that should be mentioned. Selected just four picks after Stowers, the All-American safety was connected to the Eagles by pundits during the pre-draft process as a seamless fit. Through three games with the Browns, McNeil-Warren has earned a 74.6 PFF grade, over ten points higher than both Mukuba and Epps.

I still have faith that Stowers can develop into a solid NFL player, but for a team with Super Bowl aspirations, the Eagles may ultimately regret not using the pick on a player who could have addressed an immediate need.