Eli Stowers Emphasizes Blocking Progress at 2026 NFL Scouting Combine

Eli Stowers met with media at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine and highlighted the continued work he is doing to sharpen his run‑blocking after shifting from quarterback to tight end. The conversation underscored how his rapid positional change produced elite receiving numbers in 2025 while leaving a clear development area for professional evaluators.

Eli Stowers’ conversion from quarterback to award‑winning tight end

Stowers began his collegiate career as a quarterback at Texas A& M, appearing in five games across two seasons as a backup before transferring to New Mexico State. He spent a season at New Mexico State playing both quarterback and tight end, then moved on to Vanderbilt, where the position change culminated in national recognition. In 2025 he led his team with 49 receptions for 638 yards and five touchdowns, earned first‑team All‑American honors and won the Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end.

He framed the transition as grounded in his quarterback background, saying that playing quarterback “was pivotal in my transition to tight end” because it helped him understand offensive and defensive responsibilities. That comprehension, he explained, translated into route awareness and receiving instincts that propelled his statistical breakout.

2026 NFL Scouting Combine meeting and the focus on blocking technique

At the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, Stowers addressed the one facet of his game that remains a work in progress: run blocking. He noted that run‑blocking technique was the “newest thing” to him after coming from quarterback and acknowledged he has “gotten a lot better, ” but intends to continue studying film and refining his movements. He described himself as a “good” blocker while conceding there is further growth to pursue.

The cause‑and‑effect is clear in his account: years as a quarterback accelerated his grasp of schemes and route concepts, which led to the receiving production and awards in 2025, but the lack of early experience with the contact and footwork required at tight end created a specific technical deficit that he is addressing through deliberate practice and film study.

Vanderbilt’s statistical impact and the path forward

Stowers’ 2025 numbers — 49 catches, 638 yards and five touchdowns — provide a measurable record of his receiving value after the switch to tight end. Those figures, combined with first‑team All‑American recognition and the Mackey Award, mark a swift ascent from a former backup quarterback to one of the country’s top players at his new position.

What makes this notable is how quickly he translated schematic understanding into production, yet still identified a discrete technical area to improve. The timing matters because his work on run blocking will be examined alongside his receiving profile at events such as the Combine, where teams can pair tape study with face‑to‑face assessment of technique and physical readiness.

Stowers’ public assessment of his own development — claiming he’s a “good” blocker but continuing to refine technique — presents a straightforward narrative: elite receiving ability born from quarterback instincts, matched with a defined plan to reduce weaknesses. That blend of demonstrable production and targeted development created the central theme of his Combine remarks.

He continues to position himself as a player who converted roles rapidly and effectively, while candidly mapping the next steps in his progression. Teams evaluating his film and his Combine conversations will see both measurable achievements from 2025 and a clear emphasis on improving run‑blocking fundamentals.