Patriots Coach Says 1 Rookie Has ‘Very Rare Ability’

The New England Patriots may have found a diamond in the rough.

Undrafted free agent Elijah Ponder looked like a long shot to make the 53-man roster, but judging by his position coach’s words, that may no longer be the case.

Patriots OLB coach Mike Smith had nothing but positive things to say about the Cal Poly product.

“He’s got this very rare ability of picking up things quick and look like he’s done it from Day One. … Has an extremely bright future. Probably one of the best free agent pickups I’ve ever seen,” Smith said, via Phil Perry of NBCS Boston.

Patriots OLB coach Mike Smith on undrafted rookie Elijah Ponder:

“He’s got this very rare ability of picking up things quick and look like he’s done it from Day 1… Has an extremely bright future. Probably one of the best free agent pickups I’ve ever seen.“ pic.twitter.com/AcEx9SmO3o

— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) August 19, 2025

The Patriots emphasized bolstering their pass rush this offseason.

They selected Bradyn Swinson in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, signed K’Lavon Chaisson, and spent to reunite former Tennessee Titans star Harold Landry III with head coach Mike Vrabel.

Swinson and Chaisson should be ahead of Ponder on the depth chart, but that might not be the case for much longer.

Ponder is a mesmerizing athlete, and though he may be a little undersized for the position, he has the explosiveness and aggressiveness to make up for that.

He’s done a solid job of picking things up right away, and that can take a hard-working player a long way.

The athleticism is there, and the Patriots know they’re still a ways away from getting back to their winning tradition.

So they will leave no stone unturned in their pursuit of the hardest-working competitors, even if they didn’t enter the league with a lot of hype or impressive draft credentials.

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