Eli Stowers

● Broad-shouldered frame, with adequate bulk and room to add mass ● “Freaks List” athlete, which is reflected on the tape and in testing ● Graceful speed to attack down the seam or after the catch ● Fluid route runner who can sink and cut on command ● Quarterback background is an asset when reading coverages and finding windows ● Solid ball skills, especially for a former quarterback (3.9 percent career drop rate) ● Frequently widens catch radius to make proper adjustments and bail out his quarterback ● NFL scouts say he logs “countless hours” at the facility and wants to be coached “harder than the rest of the team” ● Team captain; driven attitude made him a leader at Vandy ● Led FBS tight ends in 2025 in receiving yards per game (64.1)

● Lean muscle structure — more linear body type than what some teams prefer ● Competes but has marginal play strength as a run blocker (21 percent of snaps came inline) ● Light in the pants and likely will never overwhelm defenders at point of attack ● Not consistently efficient blocking backside on the move ● Can do a better job selling route movements with his eyes/shoulders ● Want to see him be more aggressive finishing on the ball in traffic 172 Back to table of contents -- 176 of 629 -- ● Durable after moving to tight end at Vandy but had two key injuries before that: injured right (throwing) shoulder in high school, then tore labrum during freshman year, which required postseason surgery (Jan. 2022); torn PCL and meniscus in left knee in 2019 state championship game, which required surgery (Jan. 2020).

A two-year starter at Vanderbilt (three-year starter overall), Stowers was a detached tight end (70.7 percent of snaps in the slot) in offensive coordinator Tim Beck’s run-heavy scheme. A highly recruited quarterback out of high school, Stowers began at Texas A&M and then New Mexico State but suffered multiple shoulder injuries, which forced him to change positions (Stowers: “I could never throw the same.”). With Diego Pavia as his quarterback for that transition, Stowers’ receiving production improved each of the past three seasons, including 769 receiving yards in 2025, tops among FBS tight ends and earning him All-America honors and the Mackey Award. 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. Overall, Stowers will need to prove himself as a serviceable blocker at the NFL level, but he is explosive as a pass catcher, and I love the way he maximizes his catch radius. He has mismatch-creating potential and can eventually develop into an NFL starter.