In the traditional definition, a tight end is equal parts blocker and equal parts receiver. Over the years and with the NFL becoming increasingly pass-centric, that definition started to evolve.
These days, tight ends are more nuanced as a group. While you still have your traditional all-around options, you also have more specialized skillsets now: those, who are clearly superior blockers and those who are effectively wide receivers masquerading as tight ends.
Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers is part of that
second group. He also is a player the New England Patriots might have their eyes on on Day 2 of this year’s draft.
Hard facts
Name: Eli Stowers
Position: Tight end/Wide receiver/H-back
School: Vanderbilt (RS Sr.)
Opening day age: 23 (4/15/2003)
Measurements: 6’3 3/4”, 239 lbs, 32 5/8” arm length, 9 3/4” hand size, 4.51s 40-yard dash, 45 1/2” vertical jump, 11’3” broad jump, 9.42 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
Colleges: Texas A&M (2021-22), New Mexico State (2023), Vanderbilt (2024-25)
Career statistics: 45 games (13 starts) | 1,281 offensive snaps, 6 special teams snaps | 200 targets, 146 catches (73.0%), 1,773 receiving yards (12.1/catch), 11 TDs, 6 drops | 36 carries, 117 yards (3.3/carry), 2 TDs, 2 fumbles | 5-for-10 passing, 116 yards (11.6/attempt), 2 TDs | 4 penalties (incl. 1 declined/offset)
Accolades: John Mackey Award (2025), William V. Campbell Trophy (2025), First-team All-American (2025), First-team All-SEC (2024, 2025), Honorable mention All-Conference USA (2023)
A dual-threat quarterback at John H. Guyter High School in Denton, TX, Stowers was a highly-sought after recruit heading toward college. A three-star prospect, he eventually decided to stay in his home state and committed to Texas A&M. In two seasons with the Aggies, however, he only saw limited playing time and after appearing in five games with no starts or stats entered the transfer portal.
Stowers took his talents to New Mexico State, where he finally received some opportunities to showcase his versatile skillset. Aligning as a quarterback, in the slot and as an inline tight end, he wa named an honorable All-CUSA mention after amassing 63 touches for 474 yards and four touchdowns, while also going 4-for-8 as a passer for 99 yards and another TD.
Despite his success with those Aggies, he again transferred ahead of his 2024 redshirt junior campaign. Stowers spent his final two collegiate seasons at Vanderbilt, where he fully committed to his transition to tight end and became one of the top players in the nation at his position. In two seasons as a Commodore, he earned first-team all-SEC honors twice and caught 111 total passes for. 1,407 yards and nine scores.
Draft profile
Projected round: 2-3 | Consensus big board: No. 52 | Patriots meeting: N/A
Strengths: Stowers is an elite athlete at the tight end position, whose testing numbers are truly outstanding. He ranks in the 99th percentile among all tight end prospects in the last 26 years in both the vertical and the broad jump, and the 96th percentile in the 40-yard dash. His athletic skillset shows up on tape too. He is a truly gifted receiver, capable of climbing the ladder to make catches outside his frame and elusive enough to be a threat with the ball in his hands. Speaking of his hands, he has been a reliable target with the necessary body control and spatial awareness to haul in passes regardless of his position on the field or relative to the coverage.
Stowers runs a varied route tree and can be used as a receiver on all three levels as well as from multiple alignments, be it inline, in the backfield, in the slot or on the perimeter as both an X and a Z. His speed allows him to challenge teams vertically but he also has a good feel for sitting down in open zones. While some elements of his game are lacking — more on that in a second — his raw talent is evident, especially considering he has been a tight end for fewer than three full seasons.
Weaknesses: Stowers is a tight end in name only because his blocking is not on an NFL-ready level. That does not mean he cannot positively contribute as a blocker, but he is nowhere near capable at this stage in his development to be trusted to open a lane on the play side or hold his own in pass protection. There is a reason why he blocked on only 35% of his snaps at Vanderbilt over the last two years: he lacks the size and the play strength to consistently get results in this particular area of playing tight end.
His underdevelopment does not end there, however. His lack of strength also can become an issue against physical press man coverage, for example, and he has yet to show he can regularly outbox defenders at the catch point if they match his athleticism. His routes also need refinement, with his breaks not as sharp or decisive as they should be.
Patriots preview
What would be his role? Nominally a tight end, Stowers is more of a Swiss Army Knife in actuality — a utility player capable of lining up all over the formation to create favorable matchups across the board. What this means for his role should the Patriots draft him remains to be seen, but he likely would not be trusted in a starter-level capacity like Y-tight end Hunter Henry. Instead, he would be a complementary package player while he continues to either become a better blocker or at least refine what his eventual role within the offense will look like.
Does he have positional versatility? Yes, he has, and that’s where his appeal lies. Stowers is not a true tight end nor really a wide receiver or H-back either, but he is an impressive athlete and more importantly a capable football player. The challenge will be how to use all that to get the most out of him and turn him into the offensive weapon he can be.
What is his growth potential? Probably best described as “to be determined” at the moment. Stowers’ athletic prowess is off the charts but as we have seen time and again an outstanding athlete does not automatically make an outstanding or even a serviceable football player. And before he can become that, the soon-to-be 23-year-old has some work to do. The keys, from a team perspective, will be patience and realistic expectations.
Why the Patriots? Playmakers come in all shapes and sizes, and the Patriots cannot be picky about either. While Stowers is not a traditional tight end, he has shown that he can make positive contributions on the football field. For a team trying to get the most out of a young quarterback, there might be plenty of appeal in that.
Why not the Patriots? Are the Patriots truly in a position to use a likely Day 2 draft pick on a project such as Stowers? The skill is there, no doubt, but a more traditional option either at tight end or wide receiver might be more attractive for a team still in the early stages of its building process.
One-sentence verdict: Stowers will not be everybody’s flavor as a tight end, but his raw skillset and immense ability is nonetheless enticing and something the Patriots could go after if he remains on the board until late on Day 2.
For more information about Eli Stowers and the rest of this year’s class of prospects, please take a look at Adam’s 2026 NFL Draft Guide.
Also, what do you think about Stowers as a potential Patriots target? Do you like him? Where would you pick him? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.
