Eli
Stowers.
Eli
Stowers.
Vanderbilt· 6'4"· 239 lb· 4.51s 40
"Converted-QB move tight end with elite separation feel and a 45.5-inch vert (TE Combine record); wins as a flex/big-slot receiver whose in-line block-strength question caps the ceiling."Pre-draft read
Plays primarily as a move tight end from flex, off-ball, and big-slot alignments rather than as an attached in-line Y. His main win trait is separation, reading leverage like a wide receiver and selling vertical stems with speed, before snapping off breaks with sudden hips that most tight end defenders cannot match. He finishes contested reps with second-jump plays.
He exhibits strong hands and a natural ability to adjust to off-target throws. His field vision, honed as a former quarterback, allows him to beat angles after the catch on quick outs and screens. Blocking is an area of development; he shows willingness but plays through his hips, leading to displacement against interior defensive linemen on run plays.
This prospect best projects for a spread RPO or Air Raid scheme that values pass-catching above all else at the tight end position.
Immediate impact as a volatile pass-catching threat from the slot or H-back motion looks, with the ceiling of a Pro Bowl red-zone and mismatch weapon.
A traditional West Coast timing scheme that requires him to consistently win as an attached, in-line Y-tight-end on base-personnel blocking reps.
His former quarterback brain, elite athletic traits and receiving-centric skillset provide a high floor for immediate pass-game contribution, though his blocking will limit his early-down usage in specific run concepts.
Eli Stowers All-22 Route Running — CutCall Episode 1
All-22 breakdown of the traits that made him the class's most talked-about separator: stem sales, snap-out routes and option-route reads.
Is Eli Stowers the Separation King? — CouchScouts Scouting Report
Full film scouting report covering route running, ball skills, athletic profile and the in-line blocking question.
This Tight End Has a 45.5" Vertical — Eli Stowers
Short-form clip of the record-setting 45.5-inch vertical that broke the modern TE Combine mark in Indianapolis.
Eli Stowers projects as a dynamic move tight end, offering a significant receiving threat that teams can leverage from various alignments. His unique athletic profile and route-running acumen provide a high ceiling as a matchup problem, particularly in passing-game structures that prioritize flex tight ends and 12-personnel versatility. His 45.5-inch vertical jump speaks to his rare playmaking ability.
Stowers, a converted quarterback, successfully transitioned to tight end, rewriting Vanderbilt's record book with 62 catches for 769 yards as a senior. His collegiate career included stints at Texas A&M and New Mexico State, culminating in two productive seasons at Vanderbilt. He displayed consistent production and made an impact against a high level of competition, including a key role in Vanderbilt's upset win over Alabama.
Evaluators consistently placed Stowers as a top-tier tight end prospect, with a consensus around TE3/TE4 in the class. While a Round 2 selection was anticipated, his exceptional Combine performance generated Round 1 buzz. The primary concern centered on his potential limitations as an in-line blocker, which tempered expectations for his role as a traditional Y-tight end.
- 01
Play Style Versatility
Plays primarily as a move tight end from flex, off-ball, and big-slot alignments, not as an attached in-line Y.
- 02
Exceptional Release & Separation
His primary win trait is separation, reading leverage like a wide receiver and selling vertical stems with speed.
- 03
Strong Hands & Adjustments
He exhibits strong hands and a natural ability to adjust to off-target throws, finishing contested reps with second-jump plays.
- 04
Post-Catch Field Vision
His field vision, honed as a former quarterback, allows him to beat angles after the catch on quick outs and screens.
- 05
Raw Athleticism
His 45.5-inch vertical jump speaks to his rare playmaking ability and provides a high ceiling as a matchup problem.
- 01
Inconsistent Blocking
Blocking is an area of development; he shows willingness but plays through his hips, leading to displacement against interior linemen.
- 02
In-line Blocking Limitation
His potential limitations as an in-line blocker tempered expectations for his role as a traditional Y-tight end.
- 03
Sub-240lb Frame
Play-strength through contact is average for his sub-240-pound frame, showing less power when defenders engage early.
- 04
Late Position Convert
Relatively late conversion to tight end means NFL route trees and gap-scheme footwork are still developing.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.51sp50
- Vertical
- 45.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 135inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- —s
- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | New Mexico State | 15 | 35 | 366 | 2 |
| 2024 | Vanderbilt | 12 | 49 | 638 | 5 |
| 2025 | Vanderbilt | 12 | 61 | 765 | 4 |
| Career | — | 39 | 145 | 1769 | 11 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
- Diego PaviaQB33%
- Junior SherrillWR8%
- Tre RichardsonWR6%
#3 of 21 tracked contributors · Production leaned on volume · Offense explosiveness 1.42 (p96) · CFBD — usage x PPA per tracked player
Movable-Y receiver-first tight end whose route feel and red-zone radius fuel a long high-end starter career next to a WR1.
Elite athletic-profile move TE whose separation and ball skills carry him past average in-line blocking to a Pro Bowl ceiling.
Big-slot/red-zone matchup TE whose blocking never gets to plus but who anchors an offense as a reliable 12-personnel target.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
**Pre-draft context.** Stowers was a top-125 QB recruit out of Denton Guyer who signed with Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M in 2021, transferred to New Mexico State in 2023 with their program leadership, and was talked into a full-time move to tight end that same year — a bet on the frame, hands and separation feel that had always shown up when he improvised outside the pocket. He followed Diego Pavia to Vanderbilt in 2024 and became the centerpiece of the passing game in the biggest era of Nashville football in a generation, including a role in the October 2024 upset of top-ranked Alabama in Nashville that turned the program into a national story. The senior workout arc — Mackey Award, Campbell Trophy, TE Combine records in the vert and broad — did what a Vanderbilt tight end almost never does: pushed him into Day 2 first-name lock status.
**NFL fit — Philadelphia Eagles.** Philadelphia traded around the board to grab Stowers at 54 as the long-term insurance policy behind the incumbent TE1 and the new-look move-TE role. The passing-game structure is built on flex tight ends and 12-personnel matchup problems — a scheme that lets Stowers play from the slot, wing and detached-Y without asking him to anchor as an attached blocker on early downs. Rookie-camp writeups placed him with the 2s in 12 personnel and the 1s in select red-zone packages, where the vertical range and jump-ball radius can become a secondary option behind the established boundary targets. The blocking question is real but survivable in Philly because he isn't being asked to be Goedert's twin.
**Retrospective.** Zero regular-season snaps as of late July 2026 — too early to grade the pick. The evaluation reads as a classic ceiling swing on a player whose primary win trait (separation from a TE body) is scarce and difficult to teach, with a secondary story (the QB brain, the character stack, the Campbell Trophy) that most 54th-overall bets don't carry. If the in-line block-strength ever gets to functional, this is a Pro Bowl move-TE by year three. If it doesn't, Philly still owns a red-zone matchup weapon and a big-slot receiving option — the ceiling of the pick is All-Pro flex, the floor is a productive 3rd/1st-down platoon.