Elijah Ponder
American football player (born 2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
Pomona, California, U.S.
| 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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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]