The Saskatchewan Roughriders signed defensive lineman Elijah Ponder on Monday.
Elijah Ponder is six foot three and weighs 275 pounds. The 26-year-old from Atlanta, Georgia, made 15 tackles (4 solo, 11 assists), two tackles for loss, two sacks, two quarterback hits, and two pass breakups in nine games for the Seattle Sea Dragons (XFL) in 2023. The Sea Dragons drafted Ponder in the first round (2nd pick) in Phase 3 of the 2023 XFL Draft.
Before Seattle, Ponder signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2021 and spent a couple of seasons on the practice squad. In the 2022 preseason, Ponder made four tackles (2 solo, 2 assists) in three preseason games.
Collegiately, Ponder played four seasons at Cincinnati (2017-20) making 64 tackles (27 solo, 37 assists), 12.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, one pass breakup, and two forced fumbles in 32 games for the Bearcats. He was named First Team All-AAC in 2019.
