Elijah Ponder
| No. 91 – New England Patriots | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | August 24, 2002 Pomona, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 245 lb (111 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Bishop Amat (La Puente, California) | ||||||||
| College | Cal Poly (2021–2024) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 2025: undrafted | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||||
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Elijah Coltrane Ponder (born August 24, 2002) is an American professional football linebacker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Cal Poly Mustangs.
Early life
Ponder graduated from Bishop Amat High in La Puente, California.[1]
College career
Ponder played for Cal Poly, collecting 27 sacks and blocking a field goal attempt and an extra point try while a Mustang. He scored one touchdown, a 75-yard interception return versus San Diego in 2021.[2] He earned two first-team All-Big Sky selections in his career, in 2023[3] and 2024.[4] Ponder was additionally named a 2023 Walter Camp FCS All-American.
He recorded a sack and two passes defensed in the 2025 East–West Shrine Bowl.[5]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+7⁄8 in (1.90 m) |
251 lb (114 kg) |
33+1⁄8 in (0.84 m) |
10+1⁄8 in (0.26 m) |
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
4.63 s | 1.56 s | 2.63 s | 4.28 s | 6.99 s | 41.0 in (1.04 m) |
11 ft 0 in (3.35 m) |
22 reps |
| All values from Pro Day[6][7] | ||||||||||||
At his pro day, Ponder compiled a relative athletic score of 9.70, featuring a vertical jump of 41 inches, a broad jump of 11 feet, and a 10-yard split time of 1.56 seconds.[8]
Ponder signed as an undrafted free agent with New England in April 2025.[9]
NFL career statistics
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PD | FF | Fum | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2025 | NE | 15 | 0 | 24 | 14 | 10 | 4.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 0 |
| Career | 15 | 0 | 24 | 14 | 10 | 4.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 0 | |
Postseason
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PD | FF | Fum | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2025 | NE | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
References
- ^ Robledo, Fred (February 6, 2020). "Signing Day: Athletes all across region reveal where they'll take their talents next". Pasadena Star News. p. 2.
- ^ Baker, Dusty (September 4, 2021). "Cal Poly opens season with road win over San Diego". KSBY TV.
- ^ "Ponder, Weichman, Saunders Earn All-Big Sky Honors". Cal Poly athletics. November 21, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
- ^ "Five Mustangs Earn Big Sky All-Conference Honors". Cal Poly athletics. November 27, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
- ^ Reuter, Chad (January 31, 2025). "2025 NFL Draft: Five prospects who stood out in East-West Shrine Bowl". NFL Network.
- ^ "Elijah Ponder College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
- ^ "Elijah Ponder RAS". RAS.Football. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
- ^ Brown, Eddie (April 18, 2025). "2025 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings: Edge rushers". San Diego Union-Tribune.
- ^ Ho, Matthew (April 30, 2025). "Cal Poly's Ponder signs with Patriots as undrafted free agent". The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, CA). pp. 1B.