Home Draft Profiles 2026 NFL Draft Profile: Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers is moving up several NFL Draft Big Boards including the Buccaneers / via Instagram

2026 NFL Draft Profile: Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt

February 28, 2026

The 2026 NFL offseason is here and that means it’s time for mock drafts, draft profiles and everything that goes with them. So without further ado, here’s one of many Draft Profiles for the 2025 NFL draft.

Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt

HT: 6’4
WT: 238 lbs

Accolades:

John Mackey Award (2025)
William V. Campbell Trophy (2025)
Unanimous All-American (2025)
2× First-team All-SEC (2024, 2025)

Video:

Pros:

Explosive Seam Threat: This guy devours the middle of the field with his blistering sub-4.55 speed. Consistently putting defensive safeties on their heels.
Velvet Hands: He’s got incredibly soft, natural hands that just vacuum up the football. Even when it’s thrown outside his reach – drops are a rarity.
QB-Level Instincts: His background as a quarterback shines through, allowing him to instinctively sniff out the weak spots in zone coverage, a skill most TEs take ages to master.
Route-Running Agility: For his build, he shows unexpected twitch and burst when coming out of his breaks, creating easy separation from linebackers who can’t keep up.
Unmatched Catch Radius: With his long arms and a freakish 45.5-inch vertical, he transforms jump balls from 50/50 propositions into overwhelmingly favorable matchups for him.
YAC Machine: Give him the ball, and he’s a handful. He consistently turns short receptions into significant gains, showcasing impressive wiggle and acceleration.
Offensive Swiss Army Knife: While he thrived in the slot, his ability to align wide, inline, or even in the backfield as a decoy makes him a truly versatile weapon.
High Ceiling, Proven Growth: His development since moving to tight end has been remarkable. Every year he’s shown consistent improvement.

Cons:

Size Concerns: At a lean 239 pounds, he’s on the lighter side for a tight end, and that lack of bulk becomes apparent when he’s matched up against stronger defenders at the point of attack.
Run Blocking Development: His run blocking is still a work in progress; he can struggle to hold his ground and is often pushed back by powerful defensive ends.
Inconsistent Hands: After a stellar 2024, his drop rate saw a noticeable increase in 2025. This raises some concerns regarding his focus and consistency when he’s getting more targets.
Contested Catch Battles: He’s had some ups and downs when fighting for the ball in traffic. Aggressive defensive backs can sometimes disrupt his positioning at the top of his routes.
Limited Special Teams Value: With no collegiate special teams experience, he’ll need to make an immediate impact on offense to secure a roster spot, as that avenue for early contribution isn’t there for him.

Summary:

Stowers isn’t your conventional “Y” tight end, and any team projecting him into that role will be sorely mistaken. Instead, he arrives as one of the most dynamic receiving forces at the position in this draft. His potent mix of authentic speed, supreme body control, and natural ball skills provides an offensive upside that few other tight ends in this class can even approach. Bolstered by a staggering 45.5-inch vertical and a quarterback’s innate sense for reading defenses and settling into voids, Stowers is primed to be an immediate, versatile mismatch piece for any offense that knows how to use him.