Elijah Roberts NFL Draft 2025: Scouting Report for SMU DL

HEIGHT: 6'4"

WEIGHT: 285

HAND: 10¼”

ARM: 33⅝”

WINGSPAN: 82”

---

40-YARD DASH: 4.78

VERTICAL: 31.5"

BROAD: 9'8"

---

POSITIVES

— Solid size for an odd-front defensive end with solid length.

— Sets up his pass-rush moves well by stemming outside to win with an inside move or vice-versa.

— Active hands as a pass-rusher and has shown the ability to "defeat the hands, defeat the man." Also has good cross-chop and swim moves that he can win with.

— Good pass-rush motor to get coverage sacks.

— Takes on blocks with a wide base and good knee bend against the run.

— Solid upper-body strength and arm length allow him to get extension on blocks and shed. Has also occasionally shown the ability to escape blocks with a swim move.

---

NEGATIVES

— Not athletic and twitchy enough to lineup on the edge in the NFL, where he primarily played in college.

— Lacks explosion/initial burst off the line scrimmage, impacting the effectiveness of his bull rush as a primary move from tighter alignments.

— Has some stiffness in his hips, making it difficult to clear his lower half to get clean wins with finesse moves.

— Poor bend. Struggles to corner at the top of the rush and will get pushed by the quarterback when they step up in the pocket.

— Primarily used a two-point stance in college. Could struggle to get his hands up quickly when playing with his hand in the ground.

— Unproven as a 4i-technique, especially against the run.

---

NOTES

— Born Dec. 24, 2001

— 4-star recruit in the 2020 class, per 247Sports

— Injuries: 2024 (Hand, missed 1 game)

— Played at Miami from 2020 to 2022 before transferring to SMU in 2023

— 2024 Honorable Mention All-ACC

— 2023 Second-Team All-AAC

---

OVERALL

Elijah Roberts was a productive edge defender at SMU, logging 17.5 sacks over the last two seasons. He lacks the bend and overall athleticism to stay on the edge in the NFL, but he projects well as a 4i-technique defensive end in odd fronts with his size and strength.

As a pass-rusher, Roberts has active and accurate hands to "defeat the hands, defeat the man," in addition to showing good cross-chop and arm-over moves. He also uses a forklift technique well to get offensive linemen's hands off him and has a solid bull rush as a counter move.

However, he does lack explosion off the line of scrimmage to be effective when using the bull rush as a primary move. Right now, he needs a yard or two to build up momentum and win with power, which will be an issue when playing from tighter alignments initially.

The biggest problem with the former Mustang is that he's unproven when playing with his hand in the ground, especially against the run. He didn't have to face many double-teams and combo blocks on the edge, which could lead to some growing pains at a new position in the pros.

The good news is that Roberts takes on blocks with a wide base, good knee bend and has the upper-body strength to get extension on blocks. That should help him be successful once he gets comfortable playing from a new alignment.

Overall, Roberts is a developmental prospect, but he has the potential to become a starter and every-down contributor in the NFL with time and good coaching.

---

GRADE: 6.7 (Developmental Prospect — 5th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 148

POSITION RANK: DL14

PRO COMPARISON: Tyrone Crawford

---

Written by B/R NFL Scout Matt Holder