Eli Stowers becomes the highest Vanderbilt draft pick since 2021
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt football tight end Eli Stowers was selected with the 54th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday. This makes him the Commodores’ highest draft pick since 2021 when Dayo Odeyingbo was also selected 54th overall by Indianapolis.
Philadelphia bound 🦅
With the 54th pick in the #NFLDraft, the @Eagles select, @eli_stowers3#FlyEaglesFly | #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/44d0lHMwlb
— Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) April 25, 2026
Stowers becomes the second Dore under head coach Clark Lea to be drafted, joining long snapper Julian Ashby, and the 128th total selection in program history. He is the first Vandy tight end to be chosen since 1986, when Jim Popp was drafted in the eighth round by San Francisco, and the seventh Commodore ever at the position to be selected.
Out of Denton, Texas, Stowers is one of the most decorated players in Vanderbilt football history. Named the 2025 John Mackey Award winner, he led the Commodores with 62 catches for 769 yards. In two seasons in the black and gold, Stowers appeared in 25 games and had 111 receptions for 1,407 yards and nine touchdowns.
Stowers was one of the top players in the country, earning Consensus All-American honors after he was a first-team selection by the Walter Camp Foundation, American Football Coaches Association, Football Writers Association of America, Associated Press and The Sporting News. Stowers was also named first-team All-America by The Athletic, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated and USA Today, and was voted first-team All-SEC by the league’s coaches, Associated Press, Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions.
Off the field, Stowers won the William V. Campbell Trophy, presented to the premier scholar-athlete in college football, and is a two-time Hampshire Honor Society member.
Prior to Vanderbilt, Stowers spent the 2023 season at New Mexico State and two seasons at Texas A&M. Out of high school, Stowers was rated a four-star quarterback prospect per Rivals and ESPN. Stowers helped his high school track and field team to the state semifinals, was a second-team all-state pick as a junior and named Texas District 5-6A Co-Offensive MVP after winning a state championship.
The NFL Draft concludes Saturday with Rounds 4-7.
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