The Denver Broncos need a tight end who can catch passes, and Eli Stowers of Vanderbilt has receiver-level speed.
The Denver Broncos don’t have a lot of draft capital going into the NFL draft next week, but they have scheduled a pre-draft visit with Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers, who set a combine record in one test category and ranked second in another.
Stowers is ranked right behind Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq, and both players have been connected with the Broncos in an ongoing array of pre-draft rumors. Sadiq profiles as a first-rounder, but Stowers could be a fit going forward for the Broncos given that Denver has already traded its top draft pick to Miami for receiver Jaylen Waddle.
Stowers’ combine performance was impressive. He set a record with a vertical jump with mark of 45.5 inches, and he ranked second among participants with an 11-foot, 3-inch broad jump. His splits trailed only those of Sadiq.
As impressive as Stowers’ splits are, they’re relatively average for a receiver, and according to Nikhil Meta of ProFootballRumors.com, it’s unclear whether he could separate from cornerbacks on the outside without more agility testing. He could be classified as a big slot receiver rather than a genuine wideout, although he’d make a good complementary target for Denver given the size of receiver Courtland Sutton.
Stowers has been making the rounds with multiple teams to follow up on his athletic bona fides, and he’s visited with the Los Angeles Rams, Dallas Cowboys and Tennessee Titans. All of these teams have needs at tight end, but so do the Broncos, who could be looking at Stowers in the second round. Denver also has depth at multiple positions if they want to engineer a trade to move up further and ensure the tight end’s availability.
The Broncos need is based on the performance of veteran tight end Evan Engram, who was a disappointment in Denver last season. Engram was supposed to he the “joker” tight end coveted by coach Sean Payton, and many around the league were surprised to see Payton trade for Waddle rather than target a tight end.
Rookie tight ends don’t always make a big splash right away, so targeting a player like Stowers would indicate that the Broncos intend to work him into the lineup more gradually. Denver does have plenty of depth when it comes to blocking tight ends, with Adam Trautman being the most prominent name among those who have been re-signed. Payton is also known for pulling draft-day surprises, too, which makes this visit especially noteworthy.