Ravens’ price just went up on a potential Isaiah Likely replacement

The Baltimore Ravens have several questions surrounding their tight ends this offseason. After making a somewhat questionable decision to extend franchise tight end Mark Andrews late in 2025, the future is uncertain for backup tight ends Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar.

It once seemed that Likely and Kolar were the future at tight end. However, the Andrews extension changed that, and both Likely and Kolar are set to be free agents. Likely, who’s been a rising star, is the bigger piece that the Ravens may have to replace in the coming months, as his recent comments don't favor him re-signing.

General manager Eric DeCosta mentioned that the team would like to have the 25-year-old back, but teams are extremely high on him. His cost may become too high. Some intriguing prospects could replace him in the 2026 NFL Draft, but unfortunately, the price for one clear replacement skyrocketed at the NFL Combine: Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers.

Eli Stowers may have played himself out of Ravens’ draft range

While the story of the day was Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq, who ran the fastest 40-yard dash for a tight end at the NFL Combine since at least 2003 with a 4.39, Stowers set his own record. He ran a 4.51 40-yard dash, had a 45.5-inch vertical jump, and an 11-foot and 3-inch broad jump, which is a record for tight ends.

Here are some of his highlights from his workout.

Do the Ravens need to draft a tight end on day two? Probably not. They invested in Andrews heavily for 2026. However, fans know how much Baltimore values tight ends. Andrews’ contract also has an out in 2027, where they can save $9.6 million in cap space with a pre-June 1 cut in the 2027 offseason. Stowers would be a worthy heir.

Stowers had a very strong final season at Vanderbilt, totaling 62 receptions, 769 yards, and four touchdowns, earning All-American honors. As an explosive athlete and receiving threat, he feels like the perfect replacement for Isaiah Likely. That likely (pun intended) won’t be the case now.

A trade back later in the second round or a third-round selection feels like the prime spot for a tight end if the Ravens do opt to choose one of the higher-end guys. However, Stowers’ NFL Combine showing puts him directly in that conversation at Baltimore’s second pick. The issue is, he may have performed way too well.

There’s no guarantee Stowers will be there at pick 45 now. He was already a top-two tight end prospect, but his testing numbers may have shot him up into the very early realm of the second round. That could very well be before the Ravens’ selection. Tight end-needy teams like the New York Giants, Miami Dolphins, and maybe even the Kansas City Chiefs could take him off the board before Baltimore even gets the chance.

Ultimately, there’s still a nonzero chance that Isaiah Likely re-signs, and even if he doesn’t come back, Charlie Kolar could be the one jumping into that backup tight end role. However, if both leave Charm City, the NFL Draft makes the most sense to reload at that spot. By the way it looks, though, it may not be Eli Stowers coming in as the reinforcement.