Eli Stowers
| No. 87 – Philadelphia Eagles | |
|---|---|
| Position | Tight end |
| Roster status | Active |
| Personal information | |
| Born | April 15, 2003 |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 239 lb (108 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | John H. Guyer (Denton, Texas) |
| College |
|
| NFL draft | 2026: 2nd round, 54th overall pick |
| Career history | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Elijah Stowers (born April 15, 2003) is an American professional football tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies, New Mexico State Aggies, and Vanderbilt Commodores. Stowers was selected by the Eagles in the second round of the 2026 NFL draft.
Early life
Stowers was born on April 15, 2003, and grew up in Little Elm, Texas.[1][2] He attended John H. Guyer High School in Denton, Texas, where he played quarterback. As a junior in 2019, he was the District 5-6A Co-Offensive MVP after passing for 2,969 yards with 36 touchdowns while adding 1,166 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.[3][4] Stowers committed to Texas A&M University to play college football.[5][6]
College career
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eli Stowers QB |
Denton | Guyer | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 204 lb (93 kg) | Jul 2, 2019 | |
| Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: (82) | ||||||
Stowers played quarterback at Texas A&M in 2021 and 2022, appearing in five games as a backup. Prior to the 2023 season he transferred to New Mexico State University, where he played quarterback and tight end. Over 15 games he had 35 receptions for 366 yards with two touchdowns while adding 108 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns and one passing touchdown.[7] After the season, Stowers transferred to Vanderbilt University.[8]
For the 2025 season, Stowers was named the winner of the John Mackey Award given to the nation's best tight end. He also was named the winner of the William V. Campbell Trophy which is awarded to the player who shows the most combined excellence in academics and football.[9]
On December 28, 2025, it was confirmed Stowers would be opting out of the ReliaQuest Bowl which Vanderbilt was scheduled to play on December 31, against Iowa.[10]
Statistics
| Season | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2021 | Texas A&M | 3 | 0 | Did not record statistics | |||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Texas A&M | 2 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | New Mexico State | 15 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 50.0 | 99 | 12.4 | 1 | 0 | 195.2 | 28 | 108 | 3.9 | 2 | 35 | 366 | 10.5 | 2 |
| 2024 | Vanderbilt | 13 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 50.0 | 17 | 8.5 | 1 | 0 | 286.4 | 6 | 7 | 1.2 | 0 | 49 | 638 | 13.0 | 5 |
| 2025 | Vanderbilt | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 0 | 62 | 769 | 12.4 | 4 |
| Career | 45 | 13 | 5 | 10 | 50.0 | 116 | 11.6 | 2 | 0 | 213.4 | 36 | 117 | 3.3 | 2 | 146 | 1,773 | 12.1 | 11 | |
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3+3⁄4 in (1.92 m) |
239 lb (108 kg) |
32+5⁄8 in (0.83 m) |
9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) |
6 ft 7+3⁄4 in (2.03 m) |
4.51 s | 1.59 s | 2.62 s | 45.5 in (1.16 m) |
11 ft 3 in (3.43 m) | |||
| All values from NFL Combine[11][12] | ||||||||||||
Stowers was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round with the 54th overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.[13]
Personal life
Stowers' father, Donald, is a High school football coach and former football player who played at New Mexico State and in NFL Europe for the Rhein Fire.[14] His sister, Kyndal, plays Volleyball for Texas A&M.[15]
References
- ^ Steele, Cayden (2026-05-01). "How Eagles draft pick turned 'a dark time' into NFL future — at new position". nj. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
- ^ "Eli Stowers Tight End Vanderbilt | NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report". www.nfldraftbuzz.com. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
- ^ [email protected], Reece Waddell Staff Writer (September 24, 2020). "Football: Guyer's Eli Stowers used faith to guide him through injury and back onto field". Denton Record-Chronicle.
- ^ Stowers seeks redemption
- ^ "Denton Guyer QB/3-sport athlete Eli Stowers commits to Texas A&M". Dallas News. July 3, 2019.
- ^ Waddell, Reece (2024-11-12). "Football: Guyer QB Eli Stowers commits to Texas A&M". Denton Record-Chronicle. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
- ^ Writer, Sean Reider / Journal Staff (April 11, 2024). "NMSU's do-it-all offensive threat Eli Stowers enters transfer portal". Albuquerque Journal.
- ^ Gerson, Aria. "Vanderbilt football lands transfer commit from New Mexico State tight end Eli Stowers | Report". The Tennessean.
- ^ Gerson, Aria. "Eli Stowers of Vanderbilt football wins Mackey Award for nation's top tight end". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2025-12-28.
- ^ Vitale, Benedetto (December 28, 2025). "Vanderbilt's Mackey Award winner skipping ReliaQuest Bowl in preparation for top NFL Draft spot". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
- ^ "Eli Stowers Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- ^ "Eli Stowers College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- ^ "Eagles draft TE Eli Stowers No. 54 overall". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. April 24, 2026. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
- ^ Rutman, Aiden. "Eli Stowers: Faith through transformation". The Vanderbilt Hustler. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
- ^ "Kyndal Stowers - Volleyball". Texas A&M Athletics - 12thMan.com. Retrieved 2026-06-03.