Report: Broncos to Meet with Prospect Compared to Mike Evans

The Denver Broncos are scheduled to visit with former Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers next week, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday, in one of the final prospect meetings ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.

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Interestingly, Rapoport compared the 6-foot-4, 239-pound Stowers to future Hall-of-Fame wide receiver Mike Evans and added that "several teams are evaluating him as a WR" — the Broncos perhaps among them.

Stowers first revealed on March 24 his arranged tete-a-tete, while also noting he spoke with the club during February's Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

Despite splitting his collegiate career between three different programs — Texas A&M, New Mexico State, and Vanderbilt — Stowers established himself as the nation's top tight end in 2025, taking home the coveted John Mackey Award and earning first-team All-SEC and Unanimous All-American honors.

Across 45 games, he totaled 146 receptions for 1,773 yards and 11 touchdowns, chipping in two passing scores and a pair of rushing TDs. The soon-to-be 23-year-old impressed onlookers at the Combine by posting a 4.51 forty time and 45.5-inch vertical jump — metrics that placed him near the top of his class.

"Stowers is an explosive quarterback convert with just three years at the tight end position," reads his NFL Media scouting profile. "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."

To Play Him at WR or Not to Play Him ...

This is a unique situation for the Broncos, who both satisfied their need at wide receiver by acquiring Jaylen Waddle and retained the entirety of last year's TE corps, bringing back Adam Trautman, Lucas Krull, and Nate Adkins to pair with presumed starter Evan Engram.

If he plays receiver, Stowers could function as something like a rich man's version of Lil'Jordan Humphrey — a big-slot wideout with explosive upside. If he stays at tight end, Stowers would instantly surpass Krull and Adkins, and likely push Evan Engram for some passing-down snaps.

Ultimately, the Broncos' objective remains unchanged: supplement franchise quarterback Bo Nix. And Stowers, no matter where he lines up, would accomplish just that.

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