You don’t need to be Mel Kiper Jr. or Todd McShay to look at the Denver Broncos roster and make the conclusion they need to load up on offensive skill players if they want to win a Super Bowl.
The current lineup just ain’t doing it. Help should be on the way.
Some of it will come in free agency and some of it will come from the 2026 NFL draft.
The Broncos seem like they may have hit a home run with their 2025 second round pick, running back RJ Harvey, after he scored 12 touchdowns his rookie year. If they can get that same kind of value out of this year’s second round … watch out now.
The Athletic’s post-Super Bowl 3-round mock draft has the Broncos draft 6-foot-4, 235-pound Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers in the second round (No. 62 overall) and address a key failing in last year’s free agency cycle.
“The athleticism needs to be seen, but Stowers isn’t an in-line guy,” Sports Illustrated’s Erick Trickel wrote. “He has some serious concerns as a blocker. Stowers could develop enough in the slot to make an impact, but he is a mismatch receiver. What he does at the Combine will likely have a significant effect on his stock.”
Circuitous College Journey to NFL Draft
In a story we have heard over and over again in the NIL era — dude plays way into NFL draft after making what seems like a stunning amount of moves.
Stowers was a 4-star dual threat quarterback out of Guyer High in Denton, Texas, and played 2 seasons as a backup at Texas A&M in 2021 and 2022 before transferring to New Mexico State for one season in 2023, where he began to play both quarterback and tight end.
He transferred to Vanderbilt in 2024 as a full time tight end, where he’s been a 2-time All-SEC pick and in 2025 was named a unanimous All-American and won the Mackey Award as the nation’s best tight end with 62 receptions for 769 yards and 4 touchdowns.
In 2 seasons at Vanderbilt, Stowers had 111 receptions for 1,407 yards and 9 touchdowns.
“Offers a reliable pair of hands, with just two career drops,” Fantasy Pros’ Matthew Jones wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. “Natural runner with a dual-threat quarterback background, and can make defenders miss in space; yards after the catch account for over half of his career total.”
Broncos Rolled Dice With Free Agent TE in 2025
One of Broncos head coach Sean Payton’s other misfires was signing tight end Evan Engram to a 2-year, $23 million free agent contract in March 2025 — a deal Pro Football Focus put on its list of the NFL’s “Worst Free Agent Signings” in last year’s cycle.
Engram was a 2-time Pro Bowler with the New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars but released by the Jags in a salary cap move.
“Sean Payton clamored about wanting a ‘joker’ for his offense, which seemed to be Engram,” PFF’s Bradley Locker wrote. “However, Engram didn’t offer reliable contributions with a 57.6 PFF receiving grade and a 7.0% drop rate. Now, Denver will presumably go back to the well as it searches for a playmaking tight end.”
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