Finding Broncos: Scouting Vanderbilt TE Eli Stowers

Welcome back to our annual series, Finding Broncos, where we break down the coming draft class with individual scouting reports. Today, we're breaking down a very intriguing tight end who could be in play for the Denver Broncos, depending on how the board falls.

Background

Eli Stowers was a highly rated quarterback prospect coming out of high school and initially committed to Texas A&M as a reserve quarterback. After some time there, he transferred to New Mexico State, where he became a full-time tight end, and after one season, he found himself at Vanderbilt, where he quickly became one of the best tight end prospects.

Stats

During his two seasons at Vanderbilt, Stowers was targeted 152 times, catching 112 of them; nine of those went for a touchdown, and another 74 went for a first down. He had seven drops, with six of them in 2025. Stowers also struggled with contested catches, hauling in only 12 out of 32.

For his career, Stowers enters the NFL ranks with 146 receptions for 1,773 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging 12.1 yards per catch.

Pros

Nov 22, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores tight end Eli Stowers (9) runs with the ball after a made catch against the Kentucky Wildcats during the second half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Stowers is a big and athletic 'move' tight end, who will do his best work in the slot, where he can create mismatches against linebackers and safeties, with a chance to force a cornerback to cover him. During his 2025 season, Stowers showed a well-diversified route tree, especially for a tight end, with the quickness to get instant separation.

His athletic ability makes him hard to cover, but his smoothness makes it even more difficult as he can sit on his breaks and doesn’t waste any steps or movement. The burst and post-catch acceleration are also there to make him a threat with the ball in his hands.

Stowers's hands are natural, and he has decent enough length, but his leaping ability gives him such a big catch radius. He uses his hands to attack the ball rather than waiting for it to reach him, and is quick to transition from catch to run once he secures it.

When it comes to handling coverages, you can see the time Stwoers spent as a quarterback show up, as he can easily sniff out soft spots in zone coverages and make himself a target for the passer. With only a few years at tight end under his belt and consistent year-over-year improvement, he is one to bet on as an ascending player.

Cons

While there is a lot of versatility with Stowers, he can’t be used in-line unless it is clearly a pass situation because the blocking isn’t there. His issues as a blocker aren’t only with the techniques but also with the effort and desire, which are nonexistent. Even in the slot, his blocking is problematic, which is a major concern for screen-heavy teams.

Physicality, in general, gives him issues, as physical coverages can knock Stowers off his routes and disrupt the timing with his quarterback. He also doesn’t protect the catch point, leaving the door open for broken-up passes and drops. The increase in 2025 drops raises some alarms in his evaluation.

Stowers is a small tight end, playing under 240 pounds, and he doesn’t offer up value on special teams in any capacity. Teams will have to be okay with the work in progress, as he is still learning the techniques of being a tight end and lacks blocking and special-teams value.

With Stowers's routes, the nuances are missing; some are acceptable for a tight end, but the pacing needs to be consistent, especially since he's really more of a big slot receiver than a tight end. There is an inconsistency in his routes in and out of breaks, which leads him to give up the space he creates to whoever is covering him.

Fit With the Broncos

Denver only has Evan Engram under contract for one more year, and that's vital when assessing Stowers fit with the Broncos. Stowers wouldn't solve the Broncos' need for an in-line Y-tight end, but with Engram's issues and being in the last year of his contract, Stowers could be considered the replacement there, with a year in a limited role to pick up the offense and continue his development.

Grade

No. 1 Big Slot TE
No. 46 Overall Prospect
Second-Round Grade

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