As the NFL Draft season continues to wind down, Cal Poly football’s Elijah Ponder is on the brink of forever etching his name into program history and achieving his lifelong dream of becoming a professional athlete.
The edge rusher, measuring in at 6 feet 2 inches and 257 pounds, has a chance to hear his name called in the draft and become the first Cal Poly football player drafted since 2012 when Asa Jackson was drafted in the fifth round by the Baltimore Ravens.
Ponder committed to Cal Poly in 2020 as a two-star outside linebacker from Bishop Amat high school, according to 247 Sports. He chose the Mustangs over notable Mountain West offers from Colorado State and San Jose State.
Throughout his Cal Poly career, Ponder recorded 26.5 sacks and was twice named as a First-Team All-Big Sky player. His 26.5 sacks rank third all time in program history.
He was invited and participated in the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl where he had an impressive performance.
At the Shrine Bowl, Ponder demonstrated his biggest strength and something that is in high demand across the NFL: the ability to rush the quarterback.
If he is to succeed at the next level it will be in the role of a pass-rushing edge.
While Ponder is not the most physically imposing edge prospect, he is an explosive player that demonstrates a quick first step and solid bend on film.
He also shows quick and heavy hands throughout his tape, consistently creating first contact and controlling reps with those hands.
These abilities have allowed Ponder to consistently get off blocks and create chaos in the backfield at the FCS level.
The biggest question mark is whether that ability will translate on to the NFL field.
When he faced top competition at the Shrine Bowl, Ponder flashed these same traits on some reps. On other reps, he got caught on blocks from bigger opponents.
The knocks on Ponder are height and arm length concerns, as well as a lack of facing great competition on his in-game tape.
There isn’t a consensus with current draft projections for Ponder, with anywhere between the 5th and 7th rounds falling into the range of outcomes.
Lance Zierlein, a draft analyst for the NFL.com, has Ponder graded as a fringe seventh round prospect.
In his eyes, Ponder has talent but will need time to develop and add to his pass rush bag if he wants to stick to an NFL roster.
Other sources, such as Hero Sports, project Ponder as a fifth to sixth round talent.
Despite the mixed bag of opinions on Ponder, most sources agree with his Day 3 NFL projection.
With Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft looming on April 26th, Ponder will soon find out where he will be starting his pro football career.
