There are quite a few talented tight ends in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft to keep an eye on, with one of them being Vanderbilt standout Eli Stowers. He’s starting to receive some hype as a potential Travis Kelce replacement for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Kelce seems likely to return for at least one more season with the Chiefs. After missing out on the playoffs during the 2025 season, Kelce may feel the need to come back and try to contend for one more Super Bowl run.
However, it’s not too early for Kansas City to begin looking at long-term replacement options.
Stowers may not be the most talked about tight end prospect in the 2026 draft class. That being said, he has the build and skill-set to find success at the NFL level.
Keeping that in mind, the Chiefs have been predicted to bring him in during the upcoming draft.
Jacob Infante of Pro Football Network released a new mock draft. In that mock draft, he has Kansas City taking Stowers with the No. 74 overall pick in the third round.
“Eli Stowers is one of the top athletes at tight end in this year’s draft class,” Infante wrote. “He’s a bit raw as an in-line blocker, but offers good vertical speed and explosiveness as a route runner coming out of his breaks.”
During the 2025 college football season with Vanderbilt, Stowers racked up 62 receptions for 769 yards and four touchdowns. The season before in 2024, he totaled 49 receptions for 638 yards and five scores.
Stepping into the shoes that Kelce has filled for years with the Chiefs would be no easy task for Stowers. However, being selected this season and having a year in Kansas City to learn behind Kelce would be an ideal scenario for the young weapon.
Stowers was a big part of helping turn the Vanderbilt football program around over the last two years. He was a go-to target for quarterback Diego Pavia in the Commodores’ offense.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein provided an overview of Stowers’ game ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.
“Stowers is an explosive quarterback convert with just three years at the tight end position. 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,” Zierlein wrote.
“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.”
NFL Draft Buzz has also revealed an intriguing comparison for Stowers. They list Arizona Cardinals star Trey McBride as one of his tight end comparisons.
Only time will tell if the Chiefs do end up drafting Stowers. Regardless of where he ends up, he has the talent and potential to become a great weapon at the tight end position in the NFL.
