Former Cal Poly defensive star Elijah Ponder makes New England Patriots 53-man roster
Mike Klan
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Former Cal Poly football defensive end Elijah Ponder got some exciting news Tuesday after he found out he made it through the final round of cuts to make the New England Patriots’ 53-man roster.
Ponder, who signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in April following the NFL Draft, beat out several other players who were drafted and veterans of the NFL to make the roster. At the start of training camp, there were 90 guys vying for the 53 spots that had to be announced at the 1 p.m. deadline Tuesday.
During training camp, Ponder received high praise from Patriots coaches for his athleticism, football IQ, and ability.
“Watching him coming out, because he was a guy that nobody was looking at, but if you look at his athletic ability, it’s off the charts,” Patriots outside linebackers coach Mike Smith said. “He’s a big rusher. He moves great in space. He’s not scared to go put his face right down the middle if you saw him in game. But he’s got this very rare ability of picking up things quick and look like he’s done it from Day 1. It’s just remarkable. That is another one that has an extremely bright future. Probably one of the best (undrafted) free agent pickups that I’ve ever seen.”
Ponder wrapped up a legendary Cal Poly career this past season and will go down as one of the best defensive players in Cal Poly football history. He finished his Cal Poly career this as the second Mustang to earn at least two First Team All-Big Sky Selections and was a four time All-Big Sky honoree. He ranks third in program history with 27 sacks, first in quarterback hurries with 44, and fifth in tackles for loss with 43.5.
In 2024, Ponder led the Mustangs in sacks, tackles for loss, and quarterback hurries for the second straight season and was named First Team All-Big Sky for a second straight season. His seven sacks ranked fourth in the Big Sky while his 12.5 tackles for loss were fifth most in the Big Sky.
In 2023, Ponder led the Big Sky and was fifth in the FCS in sacks with 10. He also had 52 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and 17 quarterback hurries, which tied the program record for most in a season. All that led him to being named First Team All-Big Sky and an FCS All-American.
(Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics)