The Denver Broncos have already made a super-aggressive move this offseason to upgrade their offensive weaponry by trading to get Jaylen Waddle. They might not be done.
Even though the Broncos only have one pick in the top 3 rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft (for now), they are still preparing as though they could have a chance to move up and get another talented weapon for Bo Nix to throw the ball to.
According to a report from Ryan Fowler, the Broncos are hosting Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers for a pre-draft top-30 visit. There's a lot to break down with that, but Stowers might be the 2nd tight end off the board in this class, so why would the Broncos be hosting him when their top pick isn't until 62 overall?
Broncos hosting TE prospect Eli Stowers could be an indicator they're looking to move up
Source: Vanderbilt TE Eli Stowers has visits scheduled with both the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) March 27, 2026
Potential TE2 in the class.
Let's get something out of the way here before we go any further: The Denver Broncos typically don't spend high draft capital on the guys they bring in for pre-draft visits. It's more common to see some of the late-round guys or UDFA types that get brought in for pre-draft visits actually end up on the team.
With that being said, the Broncos could shift that strategy at any point. It could work to their advantage to basically never bring in players for pre-draft visits and actually draft them, only to throw teams off the scent and shift their strategy in any given year. It might be a little bit of tinfoil thinking, or maybe it's just the team playing some 4-D chess leading up to the NFL Draft.
Either way, the fact that Stowers is coming to Denver for a pre-draft visit should be considered an important part of the process. Regardless of whether it's a visit to Denver or the Broncos going to visit a player, Sean Payton and George Paton both like to have some form of in-person talks with players most of the time to figure out if they are going to be a good fit for each other.
And doesn't Stowers make a ton of sense for the Broncos? He is a converted quarterback playing the tight end position with absolutely unreal athletic traits.
Eli Stowers is a TE prospect in the 2026 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.46 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 74 out of 1356 TE from 1987 to 2026.
— RAS.football (@MathBomb) February 28, 2026
Pending agility testing, bench tomorrow, splits projected.https://t.co/1Uh0vQArbU pic.twitter.com/DXzAeuTxnu
His 45.5-inch vertical jump is one of the best in Scouting Combine history. His 11'3" broad jump is the best in history at the tight end position. He's fast, he's explosive, and even if he's somewhat raw as a converted quarterback, the traits are all there for this guy to be a star as a pass-catching option at the NFL level.
And that would be worth moving up for if you're the Denver Broncos. Stowers doesn't feel likely to drop to the 62nd overall pick, so if the Broncos like him enough, could they move up a significant amount in the 2nd round to get him?
Again, history would tell us it's not likely that the Broncos are even drafting Stowers at 62 based on him coming in for a pre-draft visit, but the strategy of throwing teams off the scent with those visits can change at any point in time, and moving up for Stowers makes a lot of sense given the team's present and future needs.