Elijah Roberts
| No. 95 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive end |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | December 24, 2001 Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight: | 285 lb (129 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Christopher Columbus (Westchester, Florida) |
| College: | Miami (2020–2022) SMU (2023–2025) |
| NFL draft: | 2025: 5th round, 157th pick |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Active |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Elijah Roberts (born December 24, 2001)[1] is an American professional football defensive end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes and SMU Mustangs. Roberts was selected by the Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft.
Early life and high school
[edit]Roberts attended Christopher Columbus High School in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and led the football team to a class 8A state title.[2] Coming out of high school, he was rated as a four-star recruit and held offers from schools such as South Carolina, Indiana, Florida State, Louisville, Penn State,[citation needed] Miami, Oregon, Michigan and Georgia Tech.[3] Roberts committed to play college football for the Miami Hurricanes.[4][5]
College career
[edit]Miami
[edit]During Roberts' three-year career with the Hurricanes from 2020 through 2022, he appeared in 20 games with one start for the Hurricanes, where he totaled 21 tackles with two being for a loss, half a sack, and a forced fumble.[6][7][8] After the conclusion of the 2022 season, he entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal.[9]
SMU
[edit]Roberts transferred to play for the SMU Mustangs.[10] In his first season with the team in 2023, he started all 14 games, where he notched 37 tackles with 12.5 being for a loss, ten sacks, and two forced fumbles.[11][12] For his performance during the 2023 season, Roberts was named second-team all-American Athletic Conference.[13]
Professional career
[edit]| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3+5⁄8 in (1.92 m) |
285 lb (129 kg) |
33+5⁄8 in (0.85 m) |
10+1⁄4 in (0.26 m) |
4.78 s | 1.67 s | 2.78 s | 4.78 s | 31.5 in (0.80 m) |
9 ft 8 in (2.95 m) |
25 reps | ||
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[14][15] | ||||||||||||
Roberts was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 157th pick in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft.[16]
References
[edit]- ^ @E1ijahRoberts (December 24, 2023). "Love you ❤️" (Tweet). Retrieved December 4, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Wilson, David (December 14, 2019). "Elijah Roberts wins state title with Columbus. Next stop for the 4-star DE: Coral Gables". Miami Herald. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
- ^ Cabrera Chirinos, Christy (June 22, 2019). "Hurricanes get commitment from four-star defensive end Elijah Roberts". CBS12.com. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
- ^ Wilson, David (June 26, 2019). "What's Miami getting in its newest defensive line commit? Columbus' new coach evaluates". Miami Herald. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
- ^ Wilson, David. "This Columbus DE was once committed to Miami. He still feels like a priority to Canes". Miami Herald. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
- ^ "Elijah Roberts". Sports Reference. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
- ^ Assimakopoulos, Lia (November 14, 2024). "How SMU's ACC-leading defensive line became one of the top transfer portal success stories". Dallas News. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
- ^ Embody, Billy (December 15, 2023). "SMU DE Elijah Roberts returning to the Mustangs for final season". On3.com. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
- ^ Backus, Will. "Miami DL Elijah Roberts announces intention to enter NCAA transfer portal after season". 247Sports. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
- ^ Embody, Billy (December 11, 2022). "Miami DL transfer Elijah Roberts commits to SMU". On3.com. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
- ^ Roberts, Ryan (July 18, 2024). "Once an ACC afterthought, SMU star pass rusher Elijah Roberts is ready for redemption in 2024". A to Z Sports. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
- ^ Craven, Mike (August 27, 2024). "Lone Star 50: Elijah Roberts is back in the ACC as an SMU Mustang". Dave Campbell's Texas Football. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
- ^ Assimakopoulos, Lia (November 16, 2024). "SMU star defensive end Elijah Roberts out vs. Boston College with hand injury". Dallas News. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
- ^ "Elijah Roberts Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
- ^ "Elijah Roberts College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
- ^ Smith, Scott (April 26, 2025). "Bucs Expect Fifth Round DL Elijah Roberts to "Get After the Quarterback"". Buccaneers.com.