2026 Dynasty Rookie Post-Draft Update: Eli Stowers

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The NFL Draft is behind us, rookie drafts are taking place, and as dynasty managers we are looking ahead to the upcoming season. In our Dynasty Rookie Post-Draft Update series, we break down all the incoming fantasy-relevant rookies, looking at their profiles and where they fit. The basis of the rookie profile involves the usage of STORM analysis, focusing on five key components: Situation, Talent, Opportunity, Risk, and Market. Situation Name: Eli Stowers Position: Tight End Pro Team: Philadelphia Eagles College Team: Vanderbilt (Texas A&M 2021-22, New Mexico State 2023) Draft Status: Round 2; Pick 22 Stowers was born in Denton, TX to a family of athletes. His father was a former football player in the NFL and NFL Europe, while his mother (and younger sister) played collegiate volleyball. Stowers played quarterback all throughout his youth career and was ranked the 20th-ranked quarterback in the 2021 recruiting class. After two seasons as a seldom-used backup at Texas A&M, a shoulder injury impacted his ability to throw the ball. In 2023, he decided to transfer to New Mexico State and transitioned to tight end. After a season with the Aggies, he followed offensive coordinator Tim Beck to Nashville, where he starred in the Commodores’ passing game. He was First Team All-SEC in 2024 (49-638-5). He did even better in his fifth-collegiate season, winning the Mackey Award and earning First Team All-American honors in 2025 (62-769-4). He declared for the NFL Draft and was selected in the late second round by the Eagles as the second tight end off the board. Talent Eli Stowers’s Combine Results : Height: 6’ 3 3/4” Weight: 239 lbs Arm: 32 5/8” Wing: 79 3/4“ Hand: 9 3/4” 40-Yard Dash: 4.51 Seconds (20-Split 2.62; 10-Split 1.59) Vertical Jump: 45 1/2” Broad Jump: 11’ 3” Stowers’s measurement percentiles courtesy of Mock Draftables. Stowers and Kenyon Sadiq blew the doors off the 2026 NFL Combine. Stowers set a Combine record at his position with a 45.5” vertical jump (shockingly only a half-inch off the all-time Combine record at all positions). He also had an elite broad jump and 40-yard dash. He’s obviously a fast, athletic weapon, but he measures in undersized for his position. With that comes the problem: where will he play in the NFL? The Eagles won’t be able to play him in a traditional tight end role. He isn’t an NFL-level blocker and he’d be a liability as a move blocker. Vanderbilt took Stowers off the field in heavy personnel, and he hardly ever blocked in-line. He’s a weapon as a receiver and a playmaker, but the Eagles will have to work around his blocking ability. He may project down the line better as a “big slot” wide receiver, more than as a tight end. There’s value in that role, but he has a lot of work to do as a route runner. There are a lot of question marks in his transition to the NFL, but given the draft capital the Eagles used to pick him, they must have a plan for him. Opportunity Eagles Depth Chart from 4for4 team depth charts . The Eagles’ tight end depth chart is headlined by Dallas Goedert , but he’s already 31 years old and only playing on a one-year contract that he signed this off-season. It’s easy to say that Stowers is the heir-apparent to Goedert, but he isn’t anywhere near the blocker that Goedert is. For this season, Stowers will likely only play on two tight end sets as the move tight end. In 2027 and beyond, I believe the Eagles will need to either re-sign Goedert or bring in someone else to be their prima…