The New England Patriots began the 2026 NFL Draft by adding Utah offensive tackle Caleb Lomu on Thursday night, but their work in upgrading Drake Maye’s supporting cast isn’t finished. Getting weapons for the young signal caller is a priority for New England as they enter the second day of the draft, and while they could be waiting to trade for A.J. Brown this summer, they could also find other ways to upgrade.
That includes the tight end position, which has several viable options in the second and third rounds. While Ohio State’s Max Klare could also be high on the Patriots’ draft board, the top target could be Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers, who has the athleticism and playmaking ability to be a weapon in the middle of the field.
Patriots Must Target TE Eli Stowers on Day 2 of NFL Draft
Stowers began his career at quarterback but turned into one of Diego Pavia’s top targets at New Mexico State before transferring to Vanderbilt ahead of the 2024 season. In 45 career games, Stowers grabbed 146 passes for 1,773 yards and 11 touchdowns, and his 9.46 relative athletic score (RAS) was better than Kenyon Sadiq’s RAS of 9.43 during the pre-draft process.
Sadiq heard his name called earlier than Stowers after being selected by the New York Jets in the opening round (16th overall). But Stowers was not only more athletic, but he was also more productive as the Oregon product had just 80 catches for 892 yards and 11 touchdowns in three seasons at Oregon.
Stowers could have done more if the Commodores didn’t have a run-heavy offense, and while his blocking could use some work, he could fit nicely into the Patriots’ short and long-term plans at tight end.
The Patriots have Hunter Henry as a starter, but the No. 2 spot on the depth chart is up for grabs. While Julian Hill was added to replace Austin Hooper in free agency, he doesn’t have the receiving resume to replace the veteran with 33 catches for 288 scoreless yards over three seasons with the Miami Dolphins.
Henry has his own warts entering his age-32 season, including a disappearing act late in last year’s run to the Super Bowl, and is entering the final year of his contract. Tight end is also a hard position to make an immediate impact, so Stowers can learn behind him and be used as a vertical threat before taking over as the starting TE1 at the start of the 2027 season if all goes well.
Klare is a solid fallback option who had strong production at Purdue and Ohio State during his collegiate career. But if Stowers is available with the 63rd overall pick or starts falling in range of a trade-up, the Patriots should not hesitate to turn in the card.
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