Eli
Raridon.
Eli
Raridon.
Notre Dame· 6'6"· 245 lb· 4.62s 40
"Legacy Y-tight end who finally married the toolsy Combine profile (9.66 RAS, 4.62 at 6-6/245) to genuine SEC-caliber tape in a one-year Notre Dame breakout; medical and role width are the flags."Pre-draft read
This Y-tight end primarily operates in-line from wing or on-the-line alignments, with occasional flex to the slot in 12 personnel. He exhibits a functional angle-drive base when hand-in-the-dirt. His release package is patient: a hard outside jab gives a long first step, maximizing cushion closure, and he uses late hands to stack defenders on seam and glance routes.
His calling card is ball skills, showing strong hands away from his frame, natural body adjustment on back-shoulder throws, and high-point ability, especially near the sideline. After the catch, he prioritizes breaking arm tackles and finishing forward. His route tree is currently narrow, focused on seams, glances, outs, corners, and occasional shallow crosses, and his stems can become upright late against pattern-matching safeties.
This prospect best fits a West Coast timing or spread RPO offense that prioritizes intermediate seam threats from an in-line tight end with vertical receiving upside.
He can contribute as a Year 1 depth "Y" tight end in 12 personnel, with the ceiling to develop into a high-volume vertical pass-catching starter.
He would be a poor fit for a gap/duo power run-heavy scheme where he would primarily be asked to be a consistent point-of-attack blocker against larger defensive ends.
Raridon provides a high-upside receiving element for an offense that values frame, hands, and a vertical threat from the tight end position, despite his limited college production.
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Eli Raridon Scouting Report & Thoughts
Quick scouting-report take on Raridon's pre-draft profile, testing and projected role.
Eli Raridon entered the draft as a tight end prospect whose evaluation centered on projecting his promising tools following a breakout senior season. Evaluators bought into his impressive physical frame and athletic testing profile, seeing a player with the raw ability to develop into a starting-caliber Y-tight end. A 9.66 Relative Athletic Score solidified this athletic upside, while significant medical history and a limited route tree were the primary trade-offs a team accepted with this projection.
Raridon's collegiate career at Notre Dame was marked by an early struggle with injuries, notably a torn ACL that cost him significant development time in 2022 and 2023. After a limited return in 2023 and a blocking-heavy role in 2024, he delivered a full season of production in 2025 with 32 receptions for 482 receiving yards. This late-career surge of production was critical for his draft stock, showcasing his potential beyond a limited role.
Despite the medical flags and usage that suggested an undeveloped route tree, Raridon's combine performance solidified his athletic upside. The consensus positioned him as a top-100 project, acknowledging the bet on his physical traits and late-career tape while accounting for his injury history. He was ultimately drafted in the third round, 95th overall.
- 01
Elite Frame & Athleticism
Elite Frame & Athleticism — Possesses an elite physical frame at 6-foot-6, 245 pounds, with high-end athletic potential for a Y-TE role.
- 02
Effective Seam Threat
Effective Seam Threat — Functions as an effective vertical seam threat, averaging 15.1 yards per catch in his senior season.
- 03
Plus Sideline Catch Radius
Plus Sideline Catch Radius — Exhibits a plus-plus sideline catch radius with strong high-point ability and comfort extending for catches.
- 04
Reliable Hands & Body Control
Reliable Hands & Body Control — Displays reliable soft hands and natural body adjustment, converting contested catches effectively.
- 05
Functional In-Line Blocker
Functional In-Line Blocker — Willing and functional in-line blocker, utilizing a solid angle-drive base from a hand-in-dirt alignment.
- 01
Significant ACL History
Significant ACL History — Missed significant developmental time in 2022 and 2023 due to a torn ACL, creating medical flags.
- 02
Limited Production Sample
Limited Production Sample — Produced over 400 receiving yards in only one collegiate season, a limited sample size for evaluation.
- 03
Narrow Route Tree
Narrow Route Tree — Operated with a narrow route tree focused on seams, glances, and corners, requiring expansion for the NFL.
- 04
Limited YAC Creativity
Limited YAC Creativity — Lacks significant shake-and-turn ability after the catch, primarily relying on breaking arm tackles.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.62sp50
- Vertical
- 36inp50
- Broad jump
- 123inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- —s
- Bench
- 20repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Notre Dame | 7 | 5 | 51 | 1 |
| 2024 | Notre Dame | 16 | 11 | 90 | 2 |
| 2025 | Notre Dame | 12 | 32 | 482 | 0 |
| Career | — | 35 | 48 | 623 | 3 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
- C.J. CarrQB21%
- Jeremiyah LoveRB9%
- Jordan FaisonWR8%
#8 of 18 tracked contributors · Production leaned on volume · Offense explosiveness 1.50 (p99) · CFBD — usage x PPA per tracked player
Big-slot/Y move-piece who wins seams and boundary jump balls without ever cracking Pro Bowl blocking grades.
In-line Y ceiling if the frame, catch radius and RAC finish translate to a true two-way starter.
In-line blocking TE with situational red-zone value if the ACL history caps the explosion he flashed at the Combine.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
New England took Raridon at 95 to inject a Y-TE trait profile into a room that had leaned on Hunter Henry as a security-blanket veteran and Julian Hill as a blocking backup, with Hill headed to IR in June and free-agent additions in the pipeline. As a rookie the realistic path is a TE3 role built around 12-personnel snaps, third-and-long chip-and-release reps and red-zone jumbo packages where his 6-6 catch radius wins point-of-attack throws. The scheme fit is clean for an in-line Y who can win vertical seams on play-action and finish sideline high-points in the boundary red zone; year-two vision is TE2 with a real path to starting Y reps if the ACL medical stays clean and the route tree expands off flex alignments.
It is early to grade the pick, but the shape of the evaluation is honest. The Patriots bet on frame, athletic testing and one full year of matched tape at a price that reflected the injury history and the narrow route menu. If the knee holds and Josh McDaniels leans into 12-personnel with Raridon as the Y and Henry as the F, there is a real starting-caliber Y outcome in his range by year three. If the ACL barks or the route tree does not widen, he settles in as an in-line blocking TE with red-zone value and special-teams snaps — the outcome the flags were priced against.