Eli Raridon is a tight end and 2026 NFL Draft prospect who spent his entire collegiate career at the University of Notre Dame. A native of West Des Moines, Iowa, Raridon was a four-star recruit in the class of 2022 from Valley High School, rated as one of the top two tight ends in the country by several recruiting services and ranked inside the top 175 overall nationally. His path at Notre Dame was shaped early by adversity, as he suffered two ACL tears in the span of roughly ten months, first during his senior year of basketball and again just five games into his true freshman season. After a long recovery process, he appeared in all 16 games for the Fighting Irish in 2025 as they reached the College Football Playoff National Championship, posting 32 receptions for 482 yards and becoming one of Notre Dame's primary targets in the passing game, a significant leap from his prior collegiate totals of 16 receptions for 141 yards and three touchdowns.
Measuring approximately 6 feet 6 inches and 250 pounds with long arms and a lean build, Raridon offers one of the most distinctive physical profiles in the 2026 tight end class along with legitimate straight-line speed, having run a 4.62-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. He wins down the seam against linebackers and understands how to identify soft spots in zone coverage, and his large frame and timing at the catch point make him a factor in the red zone. His blocking technique requires continued development, as his high pad level and lean frame create leverage challenges against NFL defenders at the point of attack. Given his injury history and limited production before 2025, evaluators view Raridon as a project with genuine upside, projecting him as a Day 3 selection with the physical tools to develop into a contributing inline and receiving tight end at the professional level.
