Locked On NFL Draft - Daily Podcast On The NFL Draft, College Football & The NFL · Locked On Podcast Network, Damian Parson, Keith Sanchez

Eli Stowers - 2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report

·33 min·2 clips

Eli Stowers posted a 45.5-inch vertical and ran in the 4.5s at 239 pounds.

They start with the good news. Eli Stowers is treated as one of the most elite athletes in the 2026 NFL Draft, and that is the first thing the conversation wants to lock in. The measurables matter. The hosts point to a 6-foot-4 or 6-foot-5 frame, a 230-to-240-pound build, a 45.5-inch vertical, and a fast forty as the base for everything else. The film talk stays grounded. They work through how that movement shows up when he attacks defenses down the seam and makes coverage respect a big target with real burst. Then the tone shifts a bit. The conversation digs into the contested-catch side of his game and asks whether he consistently plays with enough force when the ball arrives in traffic. That question keeps coming back. They talk through moments where a defender gets hands on him, throws off the timing, and turns a playable ball into a harder catch than it should be. The blocking note is there too. Parson and Sanchez make it clear that the in-line and physical parts of the job still need to improve if Stowers is going to be more than a specialty weapon. They do not skip the transition. His move from quarterback to tight end sits under the evaluation, and they treat that background as part of why the consistency still feels unfinished. The role conversation gets sharper from there. Keith Sanchez pushes the idea that if Stowers does not get sturdier at the catch point, he starts to look more like a finesse tight end or big slot type than a complete every-down answer. That is not framed as a dismissal. It is the kind of draft-room caution that comes from trying to separate raw talent from a usable NFL identity. The conversation keeps circling back to body control. They want him to lean into his frame, finish stronger when defenders are around, and make more of those close-range throws feel routine. The physicality point is not abstract. It is tied directly to the reality that safeties, linebackers, and corners are going to live in his space on Sundays. The hosts also lean on the idea that the skill set already gives him a real chance to stress coverage. If he keeps the speed, the burst, and the leaping ability on display, he can force a defense to change how it handles the middle of the field. The argument builds as it goes. Each trait gets stacked against each concern until the picture feels lived in rather than theoretical. Even the criticism stays inside that football-nerd frame. Nobody is shocked that a former quarterback needs time to clean up the tight-end details. The final impression is balanced but lively. Stowers looks like a player with real impact potential and a clear path to becoming more if the hands, toughness, and blocking all come along.

As heard by us

A high-upside tight end prospect with standout athletic tools, though catch-point and blocking questions remain.

Locked On NFL Draft presents Eli Stowers as an elite athlete and a tight end prospect who can change what a defense has to account for. His size, explosiveness, and movement skills are the main selling points, and the conversation keeps circling back to how easily he can…

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A scouting debate for Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers, whose traits jump before the questions do.

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