FOXBORO — Patriots undrafted rookie pass rusher Elijah Ponder has continued to “wow” outside linebackers coach Mike Smith throughout the season.
Smith said in August that Ponder, who made the 53-man roster as a rookie free agent out of Cal Poly, was “probably one of the best (undrafted) free agent pickups” he’s ever seen.
Ponder has seen his workload increase since the Patriots traded Keion White to the 49ers, and he has two sacks in his last three games.
“He’s (a) kid that’s smart for his age. He’s well above a rookie,” Smith said. “He still has got those rookie stuff that you’ll see when you’re like, ‘what the heck were you thinking?’ He just moves like a vet. He’s very smooth. He’s strong. He’s starting to understand the leverage and stuff.
“Sometimes I just watch him with (senior defensive assistant) Ben McAdoo. He’s over there with me, and we both sometimes just stop and look at each other like, ‘Wow, that was pretty impressive that he can bend like that at that size.’ He’s (a) guy that can play multiple positions. That kids got a bright future. He’s got a lot of work to do. His first sack was great. … He’s just getting better every week. There’s still a handful of things he’s got to work on, and always got to work on, but he’s just a kid that, man, we were lucky to get him. He’s a great find. He’s a great one.”
Smith has two rookie edge defenders in his room. Bradyn Swinson, a fifth-round pick out of LSU, didn’t make the roster out of training camp and spent the first half of the season on injured reserve.
Swinson was signed to the 53-man roster off the practice squad this month and made his NFL debut in Sunday’s win over the Bengals, playing 10 snaps on special teams.
Smith has liked what he’s seen from Swinson’s work ethic.
“Sometimes you get these rookies coming from college, and really, most of them, it’s a different transition. It’s becoming a professional, doing the right thing every day, preparing a certain way. And for him, it was that stuff and getting his weight down, being consistent in the weight room,” Smith said. “I mean, there’s all that stuff that you just got to learn to be a professional. Sometimes you got to look back — these guys are still kids. And when you start doing that stuff, Vrabes (head coach Mike Vrabel) will start rewarding you. And he’s been working his butt off and practice player of the week and starting to do the right thing and learning how to be professional. And so when you start doing that stuff, and you get rewarded.”
Ponder and Swinson certainly have the support from their coaching staff. Time will tell how they’ll continue to blossom as NFL edge defenders.