NFL Draft Results: Eagles pick Eli Stowers at No. 54

Overall: A highly productive receiving tight end whose ball skills and route running make him a genuine weapon in the passing game. However, his size and limited inline-blocking ability limit his overall profile and raise questions about how a team deploys him on early downs.

Eagles Thoughts: I’ve told myself I don’t want a tight end like this anymore, and then I turn on the film. I’m obsessed with blocking tight ends right now, but Stowers would add something real to this roster. You just have to have a clear plan for him. I could understand it in the second round, but the blocking concern doesn’t go away. Scouting report via NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein: 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. 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. College stats via Sports Reference:

Spider graph via Mockdraftable:

Watch his highlights video:

**Grade the pick**

**Remaining Eagles draft picks**

1 (20) – Makai Lemon, WR, USC 2 (54) – Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt 3 (68) – 5 (178) – 6 (197) –

**Remaining Eagles needs**

Offensive tackle Safety Interior offensive line