Broncos Set to Snatch Eli Stowers as Engram’s High‑Upside Heir in 2026

With the 20th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos select Eli Stowers, tight end, Vanderbilt.

That, according to ESPN's Matt Miller, who recently unleashed his early predictions for next year's offseason spectacle. Miller projected the Broncos walking away with a younger — but potentially better — successor to veteran TE Evan Engram.

"Sean Payton has been vocal about wanting to diversify the Broncos' passing game, most notably adding hybrid players he calls 'jokers,'" Miller wrote on June 30. "He signed one in veteran tight end Evan Engram and drafted another in running back RJ Harvey but is looking for more. Stowers is my TE1 and is expected to break out even more after catching 49 passes for 638 yards and five touchdowns last season. He's more of a slot tight end at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, resembling Engram. Stowers would serve as a younger version of Engram with greater upside, though."

The nomadic Stowers began his collegiate career as a backup quarterback at Texas A&M before transferring to New Mexico State, where he logged 474 yards from scrimmage and five total touchdowns (two rushing, two receiving, one passing) across the 2023 campaign.

Following another transfer, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Texas native broke out with the Commodores last season, posting 49 receptions for 638 yards and five scores en route to first-team All-SEC honors.

"Eli Stowers is one of the more entertaining offensive skill players in all of college football heading into the 2025 season," USA Today's Andrew Harbaugh wrote on June 5. "Stowers has a unique skillset that will make him highly sought after in next year’s NFL Draft, with his playmaking ability paired with his physical play style. Stowers is a reliable blocker with his size and strength, and is also able to pick up extra yards by going through arm tackles when he has the ball in his hands. His awareness allows him to have above-average ball carrier vision, as well as allowing him to keep up with his quarterback when plays get extended. Stowers is worth your attention as he could find himself being drafted much sooner than some may think, come next April."

Engram comfortably sits atop the depth chart after inking a two-year, $23 million contract in free agency. And while the team also added seventh-round rookie Caleb Lohner to a room that includes Adam Trautman, Lucas Krull, and Nate Adkins, it'd be feasible to begin making long-term — and higher-arching — plans at the position.

Then again, there's a looooong way to go until April 2026.