Patriots UDFA Edge Rusher Impressing Coaches
FOXBORO, MA. — If you're unfamiliar with his time, it might be time for New England Patriots fans to be keen on Elijah Ponder for the next few weeks.
The rookie defensive end, who signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent out of Cal Poly, faced an uphill climb to even have a chance to crack the opening roster. The team's overhaul of the defensive line left little room for Ponder to sneak through, and he was likely competing for a spot on the practice squad.
Since then, the rookie has shot up through the ranks and became a player that could be dressing in the Patriots' Week 1 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.
"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," 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."
After a five-year career with Cal Poly, Ponder came to New England as a wide-eyed 22-year-old. During his collegiate tenure, he racked up 167 total tackles, 26.5 sacks, seven passes defended, three forced fumbles, two blocked kicks and an interception returned for a touchdown. He was among the Big Sky Conference's best defensive players year after year and is now parlaying that into the NFL.
When Smith spoke to reporters ahead of the Patriots' final practice of the week, he told them he got goosebumps when discussing Ponder.
"I’m fired up about that kid. He’s got a vet feel to him," Smith said. "Another guy, just last game, you look at a rush where he got chipped – and usually when you get chipped the tackle is sitting back because he’s waiting for you. The tackle’s set at 4 yards, which is our decision point. But he did something simple as an in and out and replaced his step… just like that. No wasted movement. It just gave me goosebumps."
As for Ponder, his meteoric rise has been a slow trend upward. In New England's first preseason game, the rookie set a major block on what proved to be TreVeyon Henderson's kick return touchdown to open the game. He's been on numerous special teams units, and now he's been repping more defensively.
In the Patriots' 20-12 win over the Minnesota Vikings last week, Ponder had pressured the quarterback a number of times, including backup Max Brosmer on what turned out to be the game-sealing interception.
Smith — who spent three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens as a player before injuries cut his career shot in 2008 — still wanted to reiterate that Ponder isn't a perfect player. Just not yet.
"He’s got a ways to go, though," Smith said. "Don’t get that twisted, but his movement ability and his knowledge and how smart he is and how fast he picks up things. It’s remarkable."
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