The Philadelphia Eagles selected Vanderbilt TE Eli Stowers in the second round with the 54th pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. A four-star QB recruit in the 2021 class, Stowers made the move to TE at New Mexico State in 2023. He finished that year with a 35-366-2 receiving line before transferring to Vanderbilt. Stowers immediately emerged as the Commodores’ top target, leading the team with 49 catches, 638 yards, and 5 TDs in 2024. Stowers was even better this past year, posting a 62-769-4 line and winning the Mackey Award as the top TE in college football. His 2.55 yards per route ranked second among 99 FBS TEs with 30+ targets. Stowers looks like an excellent athlete on tape and confirmed that with a 9.42 Relative Athletic Score at the Combine, highlighted by a 4.51-second 40 time and 45.5-inch vertical. The question with Stowers is how he’ll fit in an NFL offense. He’s light at 6’4, 239 pounds and struggles to hold up as a blocker. He played just 38% of his snaps inline over the past two seasons. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport even said in the leadup to the draft that some teams were evaluating Stowers as a WR. It’s also worth noting that Stowers has suffered a pair of significant injuries:

• Torn PCL and meniscus in his left knee in 2019
• Torn labrum in his shoulder in 2021

Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq stole headlines at the Combine on Friday with his 4.39-second 40-yard dash. But Vanderbilt's Eli Stowers actually edged Sadiq 9.46 to 9.43 in Relative Athletic Score. Stowers checked in at 6'4 and 239 pounds -- about a half inch taller and two pounds lighter than Sadiq. He ran a very strong 4.51-second 40-yard dash and crushed the jumping drills with a 45.5-inch vertical and 11'3 broad jump. The testing lands Stowers in the 94th percentile among all TEs since 1987. It adds to an exciting profile that already included a strong receiving skill set. Stowers racked up 111 catches for 1,407 yards over the past two seasons. The big question is whether he can hold up enough as a blocker to earn a full-time role as a pro. He's riskier than Sadiq as a dynasty target, but Stowers arguably has just as much upside.