Eli Stowers is one of this draft's more intriguing projects, and he is planning a sit-down with his hometown Dallas Cowboys.
Eli Stowers used to be an elite quarterback prospect at high school football power Denton Guyer in the North Texas area. He saw his career take a sharp turn in another direction in the 2019 UIL 6A title game when he suffered a major knee injury at AT&T Stadium, which greatly impacted his upcoming commitment to Texas A&M.
Once making it to College Station, Stowers the QB had trouble coming back from the setback. After initially rebuking any coach's advice about switching positions, Stowers transferred to New Mexico State, then to Vanderbilt, where he eventually flipped to tight end for good and had a breakout 2025 season for the Commodores.
His All-American campaign at tight end now has Stowers as one of this year's top NFL Draft prospects at the position, and it's reported that he'll be visiting his hometown Dallas Cowboys before the draft.
Stowers had 769 yards on 62 catches last season and has hauled in nine touchdown passes over his two years at Vandy. However, NFL scouts are still not sold on what might actually be his best position.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Stowers is being scouted as a wide receiver just as much as he is a tight end.
He's 6-4, 239 pounds and drawing drawing comparisons to big-body receivers like Mike Evans, a former Aggie himself. That makes Stowers truly one of the biggest projects in this draft overall.
We figure most of Dallas' high-draft attention will center on the defensive side of the ball for new coordinator Christian Parker, as he takes over one of the league's worst from a year ago.
But as is typically the case this time of year, no facet of the team is left completely alone when it comes to scouting prospects for a seven-round draft.
Especially if they're local kids like Stowers.
Might this be an intriguing sign for the Cowboys' skill rooms, where Jake Ferguson leads the tight ends and the one-two punch of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens man the outside? That's unlikely, but nonetheless, it's interesting.
Draft analyst Lance Zierlein says Stowers is raw, as adament by his relatively short stint at tight end (let alone another new position at wide receiver). Still, he presents pass-catching skills and a unique athleticism for his size that shapes him up to be a sort of hybrid athlete worth studying.
"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. While his route-running and contested-catch ability need work, he excels at moving the chains on screens/short catches," said Zierlein.
"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."
Stowers is currently projected to be a Day 2 pick, and while the Cowboys still possess the No. 92 selection in Round 3, that still could be a tad high when it comes to drafting an offensive player.
But if his visit on "Dallas Day" goes well, the Cowboys could be considering a dart on one of the more interesting projects of the draft.
