With the No. 54 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select … Eli Stowers, tight end, Vanderbilt!
The Eagles certainly had a need at tight end with no real long-term answers on the roster beyond this upcoming season. Stowers figures to be TE2 behind veteran Dallas Goedert. The 23-year-old rookie joins a position room that also currently includes Grant Calcaterra, Johnny Mundt, Cameron Latu, E.J. Jenkins, Stone Smartt, and Jaheim Bell.
The book on Stowers is he’s a good pass-catcher who really struggles at blocking. Receiving production is obviously more valuable than the latter skill … but the Eagles really saw the downside of tight ends who can’t block during the 2025 season.
In terms of value, Stowers was the No. 58 on the Arif Hasan 2026 NFL Draft Consensus Big Board. Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren was a popular target for this selection but the Eagles just haven’t demonstrated that they really value that position.
BGN’s own Jonny Page ranked Stowers as his TE2 in this class, only behind first-round pick Kenyon Sadiq:
Overall: A highly productive receiving tight end whose ball skills and route running make him a genuine weapon in the passing game. However, his size and limited inline-blocking ability limit his overall profile and raise questions about how a team deploys him on early downs.
Eagles Thoughts: I’ve told myself I don’t want a tight end like this anymore, and then I turn on the film. I’m obsessed with blocking tight ends right now, but Stowers would add something real to this roster. You just have to have a clear plan for him. I could understand it in the second round, but the blocking concern doesn’t go away.
Scouting report via NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein:
Stowers is an explosive quarterback convert with just three years at the tight end position. He’s an excellent athlete with long arms but needs to keep filling out his frame. He’s a natural pass catcher with an outstanding catch radius and massive run-after-catch talent. While his route-running and contested-catch ability need work, he excels at moving the chains on screens/short catches. He has the speed to threaten downfield against linebackers. His run-blocking ceiling might be low, but his traits create above-average potential as a pass-catching “F” tight end, fitting the growing trend of utilizing two- and three-tight-end sets more heavily.
College stats via Sports Reference:
Spider graph via Mockdraftable:
Watch his highlights video:
Grade the pick
Remaining Eagles draft picks
1 (20) – Makai Lemon, WR, USC
2 (54) – Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt
3 (68) –
5 (178) –
6 (197) –
7 (244) –
Remaining Eagles needs
Offensive tackle
Safety
Interior offensive line