The New England Patriots could have discovered a diamond within the tough.
Undrafted free agent Elijah Ponder appeared like an extended shot to make the 53-man roster, however judging by his place coach’s phrases, that will not be the case.
Patriots OLB coach Mike Smith had nothing however constructive issues to say concerning the Cal Poly product.
“He’s obtained this very uncommon capacity of selecting up issues fast and appear like he’s accomplished it from Day One. … Has a particularly vivid future. Most likely among the best free agent pickups I’ve ever seen,” Smith stated, by way of Phil Perry of NBCS Boston.
Patriots OLB coach Mike Smith on undrafted rookie Elijah Ponder:
“He’s obtained this very uncommon capacity of selecting up issues fast and appear like he’s accomplished it from Day 1… Has a particularly vivid future. Most likely among the best free agent pickups I’ve ever seen.“ pic.twitter.com/AcEx9SmO3o
— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) August 19, 2025
The Patriots emphasised bolstering their go rush this offseason.
They chose Bradyn Swinson within the fifth spherical of the 2025 NFL Draft, signed Okay’Lavon Chaisson, and spent to reunite former Tennessee Titans star Harold Landry III with head coach Mike Vrabel.
Swinson and Chaisson ought to be forward of Ponder on the depth chart, however that may not be the case for for much longer.
Ponder is a mesmerizing athlete, and although he could also be somewhat undersized for the place, he has the explosiveness and aggressiveness to make up for that.
He’s accomplished a strong job of selecting issues up straight away, and that may take a hard-working participant a good distance.
The athleticism is there, and the Patriots know they’re nonetheless a methods away from getting again to their profitable custom.
So they are going to depart no stone unturned of their pursuit of the hardest-working opponents, even when they didn’t enter the league with lots of hype or spectacular draft credentials.
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