Eli Stowers sets NFL combine record in vertical leap for tight ends

Eli Stowers set a modern NFL combine record for tight ends with a 45.5-inch vertical leap on Feb. 27 in Indianapolis.

The Vanderbilt football tight end was already considered one of the top tight end prospects in the draft class, a possible top-100 pick, before the combine workout.

But Stowers had a record-setting NFL combine performance.

The First Team All-America honoree set positional combine marks in several drills:

• Stowers' 45.5-inch vertical leap was second highest regardless of position in the combine since 2003.
• Stowers' broad jump of 11 feet, 3 inches is the longest measurement in combine history for tight ends, dating back to 2003.
• Stowers ran an unofficial 4.51 seconds 40-yard time, second among tight ends behind Oregon's Kenyon Sadiq. Stowers' time would have been fastest among tight ends last year.