A Miami transfer who found his game at SMU, racking up 17.5 sacks over two seasons before Tampa Bay took him in the fifth round.
Elijah Roberts barely played in three seasons at Miami before a transfer to SMU turned him into one of the AAC's most productive pass rushers. The Buccaneers took a fifth-round flier on him in 2025, and he's since carved out a rotational role on Tampa Bay's defensive line as a developing edge piece.
Path to the league
Roberts appeared in 20 games with just one start across three seasons at Miami before entering the transfer portal in search of playing time. He found it at SMU, where he became a full-time starter and one of the program's defensive catalysts. The Buccaneers selected him with the 157th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
At SMU, Roberts produced 10.0 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss in 2023, earning second-team All-American Athletic Conference honors, then followed with 7.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss in 2024. He totaled 17.5 sacks over his two seasons with the Mustangs and helped transform SMU's defense from one of the nation's worst to a top-15 scoring unit, capping his college career with two sacks against Penn State in the College Football Playoff.
2025 season recap
Roberts appeared in 17 games as a rookie with 9 starts, recording 14 combined tackles, 2.0 sacks, 3 pass deflections and a fumble recovery as he worked into Tampa Bay's defensive end rotation.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Elijah Roberts
- Buccaneers.com: Elijah Roberts Bio
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
17 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | buccaneers | 17 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive End
- Group
- defense
- College
- SMU
- Hometown
- Miami, FL, USA
- Age
- 24
- Status
- active
