‘Big-Slot Mismatch Weapon’ — Chiefs Predicted To Draft 13-TD TE With ‘Great Vertical Speed’ As Travis Kelce’s Successor

We’re only a few days out from the 2026 NFL Draft, and honestly, this class still feels a bit all over the place. There is talent, for sure, but not in the usual places. No clear quarterback hierarchy, and a lot of elite players are coming from positions that teams don’t always prioritize early. Which means those late first-round, early second-round picks? That’s where things could get interesting.

Chiefs May Find Travis Kelce’s Successor in Eli Stowers

The Kansas City Chiefs might be planning ahead, thinking about what comes after Travis Kelce (who is 36), and this is where Vanderbilt’s tight end Eli Stowers comes in at pick No. 40, according to PFSN’s latest mock draft by Jacob Infante.

Stowers does not look or move like your usual tight end. He is nearly 6-foot-4, 239 pounds, but it is his movement that catches the eye. He ran a 4.51 40-yard dash and had a 45.5-inch vertical jump. Safeties have to respect him vertically, which opens things up underneath for everyone else.

“Eli Stowers is one of the top athletes at tight end in this year’s draft class, as his incredible Combine outing indicated,” Infante wrote. “He’s a bit raw as an in-line blocker, having previously played quarterback in college, but he offers great vertical speed and the explosiveness as a route runner to create separation coming out of his breaks.”

Stowers also comes with a quarterback background, which you can kind of see in how he plays. He reads space well. Adjusts mid-route and settles into coverage instead of just running through it.

It’s not only projection, either. According to PFSN’s CFB TE Impact Metric, he ranked as the second-best tight end in college football last season with an impact score of 85.1. Moreover, 13 total touchdowns over his career in college football are a real indicator that he is actually producing when the ball comes his way.

That said, there are still a few limitations to blocking. His scouting report on PFSN notes that:

“As one might expect, the tradeoff with Stowers comes in his blocking utility. He splits out as a big-slot often, and doesn’t have the play strength or power to hold up or displace consistently in-line, and his effort wanes at times as well. He fits the Oronde Gadsden II mold of a primary big-slot mismatch weapon, but in that role, he has the traits to produce in spite of his slight schematic limitations.”

So yes, the Chiefs are not getting a traditional in-line tight end here. They’re getting more of a big receiver in that body. But honestly, it is not exactly a problem for the team as it has never relied on its tight ends to dominate at the line. It is more about letting guys work in space rather than asking them to win with power. That’s kind of where Stowers fits.

If Kansas City does go this route, this wouldn’t be a situation where he’d be thrown straight into the deep end. Kelce is still around and is still productive. So Stowers would have time to get used to the system and elevate his blocking.