Eagles Select Eli Stowers In the 2nd Round
For years, the Eagles have needed to take a TE. In the past two off-seasons, it felt like Dallas Goedert would leave, only for the two sides to agree to…
For years, the Eagles have needed to take a TE. In the past two off-seasons, it felt like Dallas Goedert would leave, only for the two sides to agree to a 1-year deal. But with Goedert in his 30s, and again only on a 1-year deal, that need was still looming over the Eagles. But now, after years of speculation that they would draft a TE, they finally pulled the trigger. In the 2nd round, the Eagles took Eli Stowers out of Vanderbilt.
This past year, Stowers took him the top honor a College TE can receive, the John Mackey award. It is given annually to the "Most Outstanding TE in College Football." Past winners include Tyler Warren, Brock Bowers, and Trey McBride. Stowers won it last year after racking up 62 catches, 769 yards, and 4 TDs.
He also won the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy, sometimes referred to as the Academic Heisman. Whereas the Heisman rewards exceptional play on the field, the William V Campbell Trophy rewards exceptional leadership and academic performance.
Transforming The Offense
The Eagles are clearly trying to get younger and less expensive on offense. Their exceptional drafting on defense is making that unit quite expensive. They already paid Jordan Davis and recently acquired Jonathan Greenard, and will soon have to pay Jalen Carter, Quinyon Mitchell, and Cooper DeJean.
That means getting cheaper on offense. This draft is the start of that. They drafted Makai Lemon in round 1 and now Eli Stowers in round 2. That is 2 relatively inexpensive offensive weapons for at least the next 4 seasons. And their arrival will eventually push out AJ Brown and Dallas Goedert, with a Brown trade expected soon.
But for now, Stowers gets a year to learn alongside Goedert. The same way Goedert learned alongside Zack Ertz, and Ertz learned behind Brent Celek.
Stowers is an explosive pass catcher, leading all college TEs in yards per route run. Blocking is the one area he needs to work on. His size will be a hurdle there. But if you want a guy who can be dangerous running a route, Stowers was the best TE in the draft.
