The Indianapolis Colts are reportedly hosting Cal Poly defensive end Elijah Ponder on a 30 visit, according to Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda.
Each draft cycle, every team is able to have up to 30 prospects in for visits at the team facility. It's an opportunity for teams to do medical checks if needed, walk through film, and get to know the player.
As Pauline notes, Ponder tested very well at his Pro Day workout. He recorded a 4.57 second 40-yard dash time, hit 41 inches on the vertical jump, and did 24 reps on the bench press.
Ponder is a very experienced prospect playing almost 2,500 career snaps, which includes being a key member of the Cal Poly defense for four seasons.
His most productive season came in 2023 pass rush-wise, when he recorded 51 pressures and nine sacks. This most recent season, Ponder tallied 38 pressures and seven sacks, according to PFF.
Throughout his career, Ponder has been a very sound tackler, bringing down just about any ball carrier that comes his way, and in turn, he's graded out well against the run by PFF's metrics.
Ponder participated in the East-West Shrine Bowl All-Star game and was one of Chad Reuter's top performers.
"Ponder (6-2 3/8, 257) showed off his bend, speed, spin move and quick hands throughout the game," wrote Reuter. "He was a constant presence in the backfield, recording a sack and helping to set up a pick-six for South Carolina CB O'Donnell Fortune. His explosion off the ball and ability to drop into coverage give him the position versatility some NFL teams desire."
Pauline adds that prior to the 2024 season, Ponder was graded out as a late-round prospect.
Incredible Pro Day performance from @calpolyfootball EDGE Elijah Ponder.
— Eric Galko (@EricGalko) March 14, 2025
Full RAS card below. As compared to #NFLCombine EDGE rushers, he tested:
🥇 in Vert
🥇 in Broad
🥈 in Short Shuttle
🥈 in 3-Cone
🥉 in 40 time
ELITE testing numbers at a position where it matters (along… pic.twitter.com/y5h6jM7NUC
The Colts do need to bolster their defensive end depth after losing Dayo Odeyingbo in free agency, and this is a position that we could even see GM Chris Ballard address before the later rounds, given that there is a lot of production that now has to be replaced as well without Odeyingbo.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts NFL draft: Indianapolis hosting DE Elijah Ponder on 30 visit
