Could Chiefs replace Travis Kelce with Eli Stowers?
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Vanderbilt tight end prospect Eli Stowers.
The Philadelphia Eagles played a strange game with tight end Dallas Goedert following their Super Bowl win in February 2024, seemingly shopping the veteran star to every team they could in a trade before bringing him back with a pay cut.
Following the 2025 season, Goedert did his team a solid by signing a team-friendly, 1-year contract for $7 million that saved the Eagles $20 million in salary cap space had he held out for more money.
While Goedert is coming off a season in which he scored 13 total touchdowns — including a franchise single-season record for tight ends with 11 touchdown receptions — it doesn’t obscure the fact that he’s 31 years old.
If the Eagles want to pay attention to their own rich history, then they should be uber-aware of what tight ends are available on Day 2 of the NFL draft. It’s the same place they got their last 2 superstar tight ends. First, in 2012, with 2nd round pick Zach Ertz, then again in 2018 with Goedert in the 2nd round.
ESPN’s Matt Miller predicts the next big-time tight end for the Eagles could come in the 2nd round of the 2026 NFL draft with Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers.
“If the Eagles are thinking about their future at tight end, why not draft the player who set combine records in the broad jump (11 feet, 3 inches) and vertical jump (45.5 inches)?” Miller wrote. “Stowers could open up the Eagles’ offense with the ball in his hands. And though he’s not a classic in-line blocker, he is capable of sealing off the edge against linebackers and safeties.”
Eli Stowers Wowed Scouts at NFL Scouting Combine
Stowers solidified his draft stock with his showy performance at the NFL scouting combine in February, which included a 4.51-second 40-yard dash.
Stowers was a 4-star dual-threat quarterback out of Guyer High in Denton, Texas, and played 2 seasons as a backup at Texas A&M in 2021 and 2022 before transferring to New Mexico State for one season in 2023, where he began to play both quarterback and tight end.
He transferred to Vanderbilt in 2024 as a full-time tight end, where he’s been a 2-time All-SEC pick and in 2025 was named a unanimous All-American and won the Mackey Award as the nation’s best tight end with 62 receptions for 769 yards and 4 touchdowns.
In 2 seasons at Vanderbilt, Stowers had 111 receptions for 1,407 yards and 9 touchdowns.
“Offers a reliable pair of hands, with just two career drops,” Fantasy Pros’ Matthew Jones wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. “Natural runner with a dual-threat quarterback background, and can make defenders miss in space; yards after the catch account for over half of his career total.”
Eagles Might Have to Adjust Offense Slightly
One thing the Eagles might have to do with a talented player is adjust their offense to have 2 tight ends on the field at the same time — something we’ve rarely seen in recent years.
“Stowers is a natural pass catcher with an outstanding catch radius and massive run-after-catch talent,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote. “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.”