Eagles Rookie Tight End Eli Stowers Needs Time, and History Suggests Patience Pays Off
Stowers, a second-round pick from Vanderbilt, has been quiet in training camp, but comparisons with other non-first-round tight ends suggest his breakout could be years away.
By Aever Bundji · · Originally reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer
Eagles fans hoping for an immediate impact from rookie tight end Eli Stowers may need to adjust their timeline. The second-round pick out of Vanderbilt has not stood out during training camp, and that has stirred some concern even as optimism runs high for an offense that struggled with consistency and continuity in 2025.
New offensive coordinator Sean Mannion's unit has shown encouraging flashes along with some worrying stretches in camp. Most supporters are eager to see the full offense when the regular season begins in a few weeks. Expectations for Stowers, however, appear considerably lower.
Recent draft history supports a measured view. Over the past five drafts, tight ends selected after the first round have rarely made an immediate mark. The exceptions, including Detroit's Sam LaPorta, Arizona's Trey McBride and Green Bay's Tucker Kraft, quickly became major receiving options who could also block in-line. Most others needed time to adjust to the NFL.
One possible path for Stowers is steady improvement in a weak area. Buffalo's Dawson Knox is a different type of player, a more rugged blocker and a lesser athlete, but like Stowers he was a high school quarterback who had to learn tight end in college. Stowers made the switch only three years ago. Knox has averaged 50 targets across seven seasons, and his two best receiving success rates have come in the past two years. LaPorta, who also entered the league under 250 pounds, caught 86 passes for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie and has since become a more dependable in-line blocker, a college weakness. Injury limited him to nine games last season because of a herniated disk. Stowers is unlikely to match LaPorta's rookie role in Philadelphia.
A second path involves struggling to block and settling into a rotation. Cincinnati's Mike Gesicki is arguably the closest current comparison, a dynamic receiver in college who also had trouble generating displacement against defensive linemen. His best production came from 2019 to 2021, and he has averaged about 45% of snaps since leaving Miami in 2022. Jonnu Smith, the Philadelphia native and current free agent, has topped 600 receiving yards in a season just once and never became a consistent in-line blocker. His 2025 stint in Pittsburgh produced 38 catches for 222 yards, and he has carved out a niche as an undersized run-after-catch threat.
The third path is a receiving skill set strong enough to stay on the field despite blocking limitations. Jared Cook, a 2009 second-round pick, ranks third among Stowers' matches on Mockdraftable at 73.9%. Cook struggled early in Tennessee but contributed consistently by his third year, and over the last 10 seasons of a 13-year career he averaged just over 600 receiving yards and four touchdowns, with a career-high 896 yards in Year 10 with Oakland. Such a career would be an ideal outcome for Stowers if his blocking never develops.
Isaiah Likely, now with the New York Giants on a three-year, $40 million deal, offers another model. A fourth-round pick, he joined a veteran-heavy Baltimore tight end room as a rookie and did not truly get going until the second half of the season, when he collected 26 of his 36 catches and 279 of his 373 yards from Week 8 on. Blocking in space was a strength at Coastal Carolina but never translated into full-time in-line work in the NFL. If Stowers can be serviceable as a blocker, as Likely was, he could earn more early snaps.
The conclusion is to be patient. Breakouts for non-first-round tight ends often come in Year 3 or 4, and Stowers' real impact could arrive that far down the road. With Dallas Goedert and Johnny Mundt expected to fill the top two spots in the tight end room, there is no pressure to rush the rookie onto the field. Any contribution in 2026 will likely come late in the season.
