Morgan State's all-time sack leader and 2024 MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, who turned a rookie minicamp invite into a spot on Minnesota's 53-man roster.
Elijah Williams rewrote the Morgan State record book as a pass rusher before going undrafted in 2025. He parachuted into a rookie minicamp invite from the Minnesota Vikings, impressed enough in camp and preseason to make the 53-man roster, and appeared in seven games before a late-season ankle injury ended his rookie year.
Path to the league
Williams starred at Morgan State from 2021 to 2024, setting school records with 31 career sacks and 52 tackles for loss to go with 216 total tackles across 42 games. He went undrafted in the 2025 NFL Draft, but a strong showing at the Baltimore Ravens' local pro day earned him a rookie minicamp invite from the Minnesota Vikings, which he turned into a full contract.
Career highlights
Williams was named the 2024 MEAC Defensive Player of the Year and earned FCS All-American recognition, capping a college career defined by consistent pressure off the edge and his program's all-time sack record.
2025 season recap
Williams made the Vikings' initial 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie after a productive preseason that included a tackle for loss and four pressures in his first outing. He appeared in seven regular-season games, recording nine combined tackles, before a Week 17 ankle injury against Detroit landed him on injured reserve to close out his rookie campaign.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Elijah Williams (defensive lineman)
- ESPN: Elijah Williams
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
7 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | vikings | 7 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive End
- Group
- defense
- College
- Morgan State
- Hometown
- Jersey City, NJ, USA
- Age
- 23
- Status
- active
