While there were some tough choices for the Philadelphia Eagles with the 54th overall pick in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, they made an exciting move selecting Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers.
Philly has been attached to selecting a tight end in mock drafts for months, as the Eagles now have the future successor to Dallas Goedert. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was asked about Stowers being in Philly, and he seemed excited to talk about one of his new pass catchers.
“The guy is super talented," Sirianni said via The Athletic's Zach Berman. "Athletically, he does some things nobody else can do. Just to be able to create mismatches with him on third down and a first- and second-down situations, he’s a tough cover. Catches everything."
Nick Sirainni praises Eli Stowers after Eagles selected him
The Eagles have added two new pass catchers on offense in the draft, with USC wide receiver Makai Lemon going 20th overall in the first round and Stowers in the second round. It's clear that they are looking to give quarterback Jalen Hurts all the weapons he needs and new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion enough to work with.
Stowers seems to have all the tools to potentially be one of the leading receivers on this Eagles team for a long time. He ran a 4.51-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, showing off the athleticism he has at the tight end position that's hard to find.
For 2026, the thought of Stowers and Eagles veteran tight end Dallas Goedert together on the field gives them the best tight end duo since Goedert and Zach Ertz were together. Stowers is arguably more athletic than Ertz and Goedert, so his future in the NFL might be a bit different, as Mannion will use Stowers in different ways.
Read more: Howie Roseman isn't sweating a long wait for Eagles on Day 3 of NFL Draft
This Eagles offense is getting better and better by the day, and Stowers adds a ton of intrigue to see how they do in 2026.
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