NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah, who was a scout for three different NFL teams, had a surprising comparison for Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers during the late February telecast of the NFL Scouting Combine prior to him running the 40-yard dash. Based on
measurements and his jumps, Jeremiah likened Stowers to Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf.
Stowers measured at 6-foot-3 3/4 and 239 pounds. His 45 1/2″ vertical jump and 11’3″ broad jump set combine records for tight ends. Metcalf, who was 6-3 3/8″ and 228 pounds, had a 40 1/2″ vertical jump and an 11’2″ broad jump when he worked out at the Combine in 2019.
The comparison didn’t gain traction because of their differences in speed. Metcalf ran the 40-yard dash in 4.33 seconds while Stowers was clocked at 4.51 seconds. Nonetheless, 4.51 is a great time for a tight end. It’s also .02 seconds faster than Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate, who is projected as a top 10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, ran at 6-2 1/4 and 192 pounds.
Stowers may have been capable of running in the mid to high 4.4s. His speed work preparation was cut short because of a hamstring injury. “Funny story, I actually wasn’t going to run the 40,” Stowers said in an interview with NFL Draft On SI. “I had strained my hamstring a couple of weeks before the Combine. I hadn’t run full speed since. Running the 40, that was the
first time I had run at full speed since my hamstring. I made the decision to run the 40 the night before.”
Stowers is much more than just a workout warrior. He won the John Mackey Award in 2025 as the nation’s most outstanding tight end. Stowers caught 62 passes for 769 yards with four touchdowns last season for Vanderbilt. His 769 receiving yards were the most for a Football Bowl Subdivision tight end. According to Pro Football Focus, Stowers had 377 yards after catch to rank second among FBS tight ends. He also led tight ends over the last two seasons with 34 receptions of 15 yards or more per PFF.
Stowers is widely considered as the second best tight end prospect in this year’s Draft behind Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq, whose 4.39 40-yard dash set a record for tight ends. According to most mock drafts, Sadiq should be selected in the second half of the first round while Stowers is viewed as a mid-to-late second round pick. The biggest criticism about Stowers, who began his college career at Texas A&M as a quarterback, is his blocking.
Several NFL teams are reportedly evaluating Stowers as a wide receiver according to NFL Media. Stowers was used primarily in the slot rather than as an inline tight end at Vanderbilt. His 406 receiving yards from the slot were the third most among FBS tight ends in 2025 according to PFF. Additionally, Stowers had the second most receiving yards (119) for a FBS tight end from being lined up out wide last season.
Physically and athletically, Stowers compares more favorably to Mike Evans than Metcalf. Evans measured 6-4 3/4″ and 231 pounds at the 2014 Combine. His 40 yard dash time was 4.53 seconds and he had a 37″ vertical jump.
Stowers has the explosiveness and athleticism to make a transition to wide receiver. The concerns about blocking wouldn’t be an issue at wide receiver.
At 239 pounds, Stowers would be the heaviest wide receiver since Chase Claypool, who was 6-4 and 238 pounds at the 2020 Combine. Claypool ran the 40 yard dash in 4.42 seconds, had a 40 1/2″ vertical jump and a 10’6″ broad jump. After earning All-Rookie honors in 2020, Claypool’s career was derailed by issues with his effort and attitude.
Presumably, losing a little weight in the transition would increase Stowers’ speed. The late Vincent Jackson was 6-4 3/4 and 241 pounds at the Combine in 2005 when he was clocked at 4.46 seconds in the 40 yard dash. His vertical and broad jump were 39″ and 10’9″ respectively. Jackson was listed at 230 pounds during his 12-year NFL career in which he had six 1,000 yard receiving seasons.
Bigger payday for wide receivers
Stowers should welcome the position switch given the discrepancy in pay between tight ends and wide receivers. Trey McBride had one of the best seasons in NFL history for a tight end in 2025. He had a single season tight end record 126 receptions, 1,239 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns.
McBride is the NFL’s second highest paid tight end at $19 million per year. He received a four-year, $76 million contract extension from the Arizona Cardinals with tight end records of $43 million in total guarantees and $32.5 million fully guaranteed at signing last April. George Kittle is the league’s highest paid tight end at $19.1 million per year. He signed a slightly backloaded four-year, $76.4 million extension with the San Francisco 49ers in late April.
There are currently 21 wide receivers with contracts averaging more than Kittle’s $19.1 million per year. Jaxon Smith-Njigba leads the way with the four-year, $168.6 million extension averaging $42.15 million per year he recently signed with the Seattle Seahawks. The deal has a wide receiver record $120,067,996 in guarantees where $69,130,996 was fully guaranteed at signing.
Tight end salaries are stagnant or arguably going in the wrong direction. The number of tight ends with multi-year contracts of at least $15 million per year has dropped from four in 2025 to just Kittle and McBride with T.J. Hockenson taking a pay cut to $10.25 million per year to remain with the Minnesota Vikings and Travis Kelce returning to the Kansas City Chiefs on a player friendly one year deal worth $12 million. By contrast, there are 28 wide receivers making $15 million per year or more.
Stowers would need to develop into an elite tight end to be paid in a similar manner as an average starting wide receiver on a veteran contract. The 2025 average salary for starting wide receivers, excluding those on rookie contracts which are strictly determined by draft position, was $17,816,202 per year according to NFLPA data. Kelce was the league’s third highest paid tight end last year at $17.125 million per year.
As an elite tight end, Stowers would probably be moved around to create mismatches in the passing game. No tight end has ever been able to successfully make an argument in contract negotiations that he has transcended the position where he should be viewed as an offensive weapon and paid accordingly.
Kittle couldn’t do it when he was easily San Francisco’s primary weapon in the passing game in 2018 and 2019. He had more receptions and receiving yards during those two seasons than San Francisco’s top two wide receivers combined. Kittle did dramatically reset the tight end market though. He signed a five-year, $75 million extension averaging $15 million per year in 2020.
The top of the tight end market has only increased by 27.33% since Kittle signed in 2020. Tight end salaries haven’t even kept pace with the growth in the salary cap. The 2020 salary cap was $198.2 million. The current $301.2 million salary cap is 51.97% more than 2020’s number.
Wide receiver salaries have exploded during this span. Julio Jones was the highest paid wide receiver with the three-year, $66 million extension, averaging $22 million per year he received from the Atlanta Falcons in 2019. The top of the wide receiver market has grown 91.59% since Kittle signed in August 2020.
The gap between these respective positional markets has also widened. The top of the wide receiver market was 46.67% more than the top of the tight end market at Kittle’s signing. The difference is currently 120.68% ($42.15 million per year versus $19.1 million per year).
Stowers may want to consider telling teams his preference is to be a wide receiver even if it would result in him being drafted lower than he would have been as a tight end. For example, the 51st pick in the 2025 draft signed a four-year, $8,631,236 contract, while the 79th pick received $2,164,380 less with $6,466,856 over the four years. The biggest difference of being selected in the second round versus the third round is guaranteed money. The 51st pick’s guarantees are $6,660,008. The 79th pick has $1,343,168 guaranteed, which is a $5,316,840 disparity.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Dallas Cowboys didn’t immediately turn Micah Parsons into an edge rusher from an off-ball linebacker. The transition was made gradually.
A new blueprint
The Rams may have inadvertently created a blueprint for Stowers making the transition to wide receiver with tight end Terrance Ferguson last season when he was a rookie. Partially because of injuries at wide receiver, the Rams used three tight end sets much more than usual. Sumer Sports had the Rams in 13 personnel 30.48% in 2025, which was more than twice as much as any other NFL team. This resulted in Ferguson being split out wide at times when on the field.
Ferguson took 356 offensive snaps. He was inline for 172 snaps (48.3%) with 94 in the slot (26.4%), 81 out wide (22.75%) and 12 in the backfield (3.37%) according to PFF. Ferguson only caught 11 passes but averaged 21 yards per catch. Based on PFF data, 13
of Ferguson’s 25 targets were on pass attempts of 20 yards or more. The 13 deep targets were the most for a tight end last season per PFF.
Ferguson isn’t quite as athletic as Stowers. At 6-5 3/8 and 247 pounds, Ferguson posted a 4.63 seconds 40-yard dash time, had a 39″ vertical jump and a 10’2″ broad jump at the 2025 combine.
The potential financial reward in successfully making the transition to wide receiver from tight end clearly outweighs the risk. If it became apparent that a smooth transition couldn’t be made, Stowers could always return to playing more of a traditional tight end on a full-time basis.
