From now until the 2026 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Indiana WR Elijah Sarratt.
#13 ELIJAH SARRATT/WR, INDIANA (SENIOR) – 6’2, 213
Measurements
Player Ht/Wt Hand Size Arm Length Wingspan
Elijah Sarratt 6-2/213 N/A N/A N/A
40-Yard Dash 10-Yard Dash Short Shuttle 3-Cone
N/A N/A N/A N/A
Broad Jump Vertical Bench Press
N/A N/A N/A
THE GOOD
– Smooth athlete
– Good vertical speed
– Focused route runner
– No wasted movements as a route runner
– Sinks pads to get out of breaks
– Quick break towards the sideline
– Good burst going towards the middle of the field
– Wins with a good change of direction vs off-man coverage
– Great, reliable hands
– Consistently wins jump balls
– High points the ball to make contested catches
– Adjusts to the ball in the air to make catches
– Good awareness vs zone
– Helps his quarterback in scramble drills
– High effort blocker
THE BAD
– Average play strength
– Struggles to create separation vs physical coverage
– Gets controlled by press-man coverage
– Gets rerouted with average contact balance vs physical hands
– His route gets snuffed when the cornerback collides with him
– Struggles to make impact blocks due to play strength
STATS
– Started 25 games across 2 seasons at Indiana. Transferred from James Madison, where he played 1 season, starting 10 games and appearing in 13 games. Transferred to James Madison from Saint Francis (FCS), where he started 4 games in 1 season, appearing in 12 games.
– 2025: 65 catches for 830 yards and 15 touchdowns
– Career at Indiana: 118 catches for 1787 yards and 23 touchdowns
– 2023 at James Madison: 82 catches for 1191 yards and 8 touchdowns
– First among FBS receivers in receiving touchdowns with 44
INJURY HISTORY
– Suffered a hamstring/leg injury that caused him to miss two games in 2025
BACKGROUND
– Won the 2025 National Championship
– Named 2025 Second Team All-Big Ten
– Put on the Biletnikoff Award and Maxwell Award Watchlist
– Named 2024 Third Team All-Big Ten
– Received First Team All-Sun Belt Honors in 2023
– Named 2022 FCS Freshman All-America
– Received First Team All-NEC (Northeast Conference) in 2022
– Zero-star prospect out of St. Frances Academy in Maryland
– Transferred from Colonial Forge High School in Virginia, where he also played defensive back and returned punts and kicks
– Received All-State Honors as a defensive back as a junior
– Lettered in basketball in high school
– Josh Sarratt, his brother, is a safety at James Madison
– His father, Donnie Sarratt, was surprised when Elijah tried out for the football team, thinking his son was a basketball player first
TAPE BREAKDOWN
Elijah Sarratt has competed at several levels of college football and played many snaps, which immediately jumps out on tape. He is a savvy route runner with technical feet and wastes no time getting into cornerback leverage and making a move off that.
He gets out of breaks quickly with consistent, low pad level, which gives off-man cornerbacks trouble. If they do not get their hands on him, he will get by them with a good burst and win downfield with vertical speed.
Sarratt gets into trouble when cornerbacks play physically, and he gets thrown off-rhythm when they get a collision. His ability to win vs non-physical off-man coverage is the opposite of how he plays versus physical coverage. His play strength and contact balance are average, which shows up consistently on tape. He will not be able to play X receiver and will be pigeonholed into playing Z or the slot.
When he knows he will collide, he will panic and lose balance, hurting the play’s timing.
Against physical press coverage, Sarratt struggles to escape the grip of cornerbacks. He has the shiftiness to win if they do not get hands on, but he will hardly create separation when they jam him. He can win on go balls with his vertical speed, but he struggles to get out of any break when the cornerback is in his chest.
Because he struggles with physical coverage, I think Sarratt can be most effective from the slot. He will not face much press and can try to avoid collisions downfield with his quick change of direction.
He is also a slot-fade master, using his calm body control and great hands to win at the catch point. Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza completely trusted him to win jump balls, and he came down with a lot of them. He plays strong through contact and leaps into the air to high point the ball and make impact catches.
CONCLUSION
Elijah Sarratt has a lot of positives to his game, including getting into quarterback-friendly windows versus zone coverage and helping during the scramble drill. He shows high effort as a blocker, but his weaker play strength can get him beaten at the point of attack. He consistently wins jump balls and is a technical route runner, but I worry about his ability to beat physical coverage. I think this will pigeonhole him into a consistent off-ball option, which will maximize his strengths and minimize his weaknesses.
Sarratt is a quarterback’s best friend, as shown consistently on film. Mendoza trusted him in big moments. NFL teams will get a reliable, team-first receiver who makes plays when targeted, but has noticeable weaknesses against physical coverage.
NFL Projection: Mid-Day 2
Steelers Depot Grade: 7.8 (Spot Starter)
Grade Range: 7.6-8.5
Games Watched: vs Ohio State (2025), vs Alabama (2025), vs Oregon (2025), vs Miami (2025)
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