FantasyPros will be taking a look at early NFL Draft scouting reports before the Combine in March. Here’s a look at Miami tight end Elijah Arroyo. And check out our entire 2025 NFL Draft Guide.
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2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Elijah Arroyo
Elijah Arroyo (TE – Miami)
6-foot-4 | 245 Pounds
Background
A four-star recruit who appeared in a reserve role as a true freshman (five catches), Elijah Arroyo missed most of the next two seasons after tearing his left ACL, finishing with five catches in 2022 and one in 2023. Finally got healthy this season and started the whole season, ending up with a line of 35-590-7 (16.9) and emerging as one of Cam Ward‘s more trusted targets.
Positives
Managed to overcome his 2022 knee injury and put together an impressive redshirt junior campaign this year. A well-built tight end who often played as more of a big slot receiver, but would work as a more traditional flex/H-back as well. The team moved Arroyo around to scheme him touches, especially toward the end of the season. Would take snaps out of the backfield or from motion at times to give him advantages.
Pretty smooth mover with impressive speed for the position. A lot of his routes were man-beating runaway types like over routes, wheels, flat releases, shallows and even some slants. Able to threaten down the seam. Shows the ability to identify and settle into soft spots against zone coverage. Only dropped one pass this season. Offers pretty natural receiving skills and the ability to adjust to throws.
Arroyo is pretty dangerous after the catch, getting upfield quickly. Didn’t make many defenders miss, but shows good competitiveness. Gives very good effort as a blocker and shows impressive range to engage/disrupt opponents in space. Was asked to execute some difficult blocking assignments in space. Arroyo is a chippy, physical player who takes blocking seriously and works hard through the whistle, with pretty good functional strength and some ability to jolt defenders on contact. Pass pro reps were relatively limited, but flashed an active, accurate punch.
Negatives
A serious knee injury sustained in 2022 will require further medical evaluation. Size is good enough to work as a flex, but might struggle to mix things up as an in-line blocker and wasn’t often asked to do that during the games reviewed. Can sometimes struggle with awareness in the blocking game, leading to some clumsy reps as he tries to recover mid-snap.
Arroyo’s blocking technique could be more consistent. Lapses into throwing a shoulder as a blocker at times when lining up as more of an H-back. Doesn’t see what he’s hitting often enough. Was only flagged three times this past year, but seems to lose his cool on some snaps, which could lead to penalties. Doesn’t always show great attention to detail as a route runner, with some rounded-off or lackadaisical stems, particularly when he’s not one of the primary reads. Only caught one career contested catch. Doesn’t have the biggest frame for that type of role.
Summary
Arroyo is a prospect who played very sparingly before this season, and it shows in his overall technique. Needs to engage with better balance, eyes and hand use as a blocker. His stems need polish.
However, it’s also easy to see why Arroyo was a four-star recruit coming out of high school, as he offers an impressive combination of athleticism, functional strength, physicality and natural receiving skills. Those traits could make him a starting-caliber player with time and commitment to refining his game.
Projection: Round 4/Round 5
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