Elijah Williams (defensive lineman)
| No. 99 – Minnesota Vikings | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Defensive end | ||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born | September 9, 2002 Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||
| Listed weight | 298 lb (135 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school | Lincoln (Jersey City) | ||||
| College | Morgan State (2021–2024) | ||||
| NFL draft | 2025: undrafted | ||||
| Career history | |||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||
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Elijah Williams (born September 9, 2002) is an American professional football defensive end for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Morgan State Bears.
Early life
Williams attended high school at Lincoln located in Jersey City, New Jersey. Coming out of high school, he committed to play college football for the Morgan State Bears.[1]
College career
During his four-year career at Morgan State from 2021 through 2024, he played in 42 games, totaling 216 tackles with 52 being for a loss, 31 sacks, three pass deflections, three forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery, where during his career he earned MEAC Defensive Player of the Year and FCS all-American honors.[2][3]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
288 lb (131 kg) |
33+5⁄8 in (0.85 m) |
9 in (0.23 m) |
5.20 s | 1.71 s | 2.94 s | 4.35 s | 7.40 s | 31.0 in (0.79 m) |
9 ft 0 in (2.74 m) |
30 reps | |
| All values from HBCU Combine/Pro Day[4][5] | ||||||||||||
After not being selected in the 2025 NFL draft, Williams signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent.[6] In Week 1 of the 2025 preseason, Williams notched a tackle and half for a loss, four pressures, and a quarterback hit.[7][8] He made the initial 53-man roster on August 26, 2025 as one of the seven undrafted free agents that made the Vikings roster.[9][10] Williams made seven appearances for Minnesota during his rookie campaign, recording nine combined tackles. On December 29, Williams was placed on season-ending injured reserve due to an ankle injury suffered in Week 17 against the Detroit Lions.[11]
References
- ^ Bernstein, Jason (December 23, 2024). "Ex Lincoln football star keeps proving people wrong after record setting NCAA career". NJ.com. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
- ^ Thornton, Cedric. "Ex-Morgan State Football Player Elijah Williams, Signs With Minnesota Vikings". Black Enterprise. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
- ^ Mosley, Kyle. "Vikings Sign 2025 MEAC Defensive Player Of The Year After Impressive Rookie Minicamp". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
- ^ "Elijah Williams College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
- ^ "Elijah Williams RAS". RAS.Football. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
- ^ Simmons, Cobi (May 13, 2025). "HBCU star turns minicamp invite into NFL contract". HBCU Gameday. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
- ^ Simmons, Cobi (August 11, 2025). "HBCU Star Elijah Williams Shines in NFL Debut with Minnesota Vikings". HBCU Gameday. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
- ^ Forness, Tyler (August 11, 2025). "Unknown Minnesota Vikings UDFA steals the show in the second half and makes a compelling case to make the roster". A to Z Sports. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
- ^ Peters, Craig (August 26, 2025). "Vikings Set Initial 53-Man Roster for 2025". Vikings.com. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
- ^ Kleifield, Rob (August 26, 2025). "7 Undrafted Free Agents Make Vikings Initial 53-Man Roster of 2025". Vikings.com. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
- ^ "Vikings' Elijah Williams: Placed on injured reserve". cbssports.com. Retrieved January 22, 2026.