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Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea detailed the versatility of Philadelphia Eagles second-round draft pick Eli Stowers during an appearance on Unfiltered with Ricky Bo & Bill Colarulo on Monday afternoon. Lea compared the rookie tight end’s athletic profile to Baltimore Ravens All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton.
Stowers joined the Eagles after a collegiate career that saw him transition from a quarterback at Texas A&M to a Mackey Award-winning tight end at Vanderbilt. Despite being listed at 239 pounds, his former coach believes his hybrid capabilities define the modern era of professional football.
“He’s a true kind of movement H. This position, to me, is defining what football is becoming,” said Clark Lea, Vanderbilt Head Coach.
Lea, who previously served as the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame, noted that he recruited Hamilton to the Fighting Irish and sees similar personality traits and multi-functional skills in Stowers on the offensive side of the ball.
“These athletic hybrid players on offense and defense. I coached Kyle Hamilton. I actually have used Kyle as a really good reference point to Eli. I know it’s the other side of the ball. But my thought is I recruited and coached Kyle to Notre Dame and here’s a guy that’s so squared away and buttoned-up, who can do so many things at a high level. Is he a nickel? Is he a high safety? He’s both. He can do it all,” Lea added.
The coach emphasized that Stowers functioned as the focal point of the Vanderbilt offense over the last two seasons due to his ability to create mismatches against various defensive alignments.
“Personality-wise, they’re very similar. I see the same just on the offensive side of the ball for Eli. He’s a dynamic athlete who has the size and the physical presence to be a really good box player and a box blocker and all of a sudden on third down or all of a sudden with a matchup, you can move him around … If you watch us on third down a year ago, the last two years really, it basically becomes, ‘Where is Eli Stowers?’ That’s how we kind of functioned offensively. That’s the kind of player he is,” Lea said.
Regarding his fit in Philadelphia, Lea suggested that Stowers provides the Eagles with tactical flexibility in 12 personnel groupings, allowing the offense to shift into 11 personnel looks seamlessly without substituting players.
“I think he pairs really well with an inline tight end,” stated Lea.
The coach further explained that Stowers’ presence allows the team to run effectively while maintaining the threat of him becoming a perimeter receiver on bootleg series or against specific linebacker matchups.
“I think what he gives the Eagles now is a chance to be in a 12 personnel grouping and to be able to run effectively out of 12 personnel and do all the things you do out of 12, which include some of your boot series plays where you’re pulling him from inside out of the core to become a perimeter receiver,” Lea explained.
Stowers moved to tight end after a shoulder injury limited his throwing ability at New Mexico State, leading him to follow coach Tim Beck to Vanderbilt as a full-time player at the position.
“But with Eli, 12 can become 11 really quickly. All of a sudden now, you have him matched up maybe on a nickel on the perimeter or in a situation where a team is in base, you have him matched up on a linebacker as a route runner. I think those become really advantageous positions for the Eagles now. He can block on the perimeter. If they want to stay in nickel and have him out on a slot, he’s going to be really effective to open up space for your jet series runs and your screens and all the things that teams like to do out of that. If they keep a linebacker in, you’re going to get a favorable matchup with him as an athlete. And then what he’s done for us is a lot of split-zone kicking out the defensive ends and that kind of stuff. He’s also effective that way,” Lea said.
Lea praised the rookie for his maturity during the difficult transition between positions, noting that Stowers chose to return to school for an additional year of growth despite receiving a draft grade a year ago.
“I can’t say enough about Eli’s maturity in that moment,” Lea remarked.
Stowers now joins a tight end room featuring veteran Dallas Goedert, who recently signed a one-year, $7 million contract for the 2026 season as reported by NBC Sports Philadelphia.
“You deal with this all the time, where guys are resistant to that kind of change or that kind of change really ends up spiraling a career. Not only did he embrace it, he thrived through it. What I also love about Eli’s story is he had a chance to go last year and be drafted. He was a draft-graded player a year ago. But instead he chose to come back. He saw the potential for growth in another year and he,” Lea concluded.
