Elijah Arroyo, TE, Miami
Size:
Height: 6051
Weight: 250
Arm: 33”
Hand: 10”
Accomplishments:
Four-star recruit
“Elijah Arroyo is a vertical weapon whose sticky hands and football IQ make him a matchup problem.”
Strengths:
Vertical route tree
Reading defensive leverage
Stem manipulation
Hands
Football IQ
Concerns:
Hand location for in-line blocking
Agility after the catch
Functional strength
Rigid
Film Analysis:
A former two-sport high school athlete (track and football) and four-star recruit, Elijah Arroyo had numerous offers from Power 5 teams after putting up more than 1,200 yards and 17 touchdowns in two seasons playing varsity football. Arroyo totaled 16 targets in his first three seasons at the University of Miami, and that more than doubled with the arrival of Cam Ward to quarterback the Hurricanes offense. Coming off a season where Arroyo saw 40 targets, he hauled in 31 for 526 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged 17 yards per catch and was a big play threat down the field with his speed in space.
The 6-foot-4, 245-pound athlete split his time on the field, largely playing in the slot and in-line, where he can improve his hand location and functional strength as a run blocker. However, Miami moved him around the formation and found better blocking angles through pulling, motion blocks, and putting him out in space. I appreciated his eyes as a blocker, always looking for the extra man or second-level block to move to after a double team. He held his own and can be an effective split-zone, motion-blocking, and screen-help tight end. Arroyo was also tasked with pass blocking against blitzes and defensive ends, where he did a good job on double teams and in one-on-one situations to give Ward time to throw.
Arroyo has a smooth release/get-off on the snap and shows his sprinting form in his stem with ideal vertical sell and limited wasted movement. He does run upright, which can lead to rigid movement in and out of breaks, but he reads defensive leverage quickly and accurately to get into open space on route breaks. Arroyo flashes speed dilation in his route stems, and the next step in manipulation is more frequent head use to alter defenders' routes and create more space for himself. He does well sitting in soft spots over the middle of the field and also looks to find space post-route.
With only one drop in his career, which came against Georgia Tech in 2024, Arroyo has impressive hands and doesn’t need much space to secure a catch. He wasn’t asked to be a contested catch tight end at Miami, but the technique with which he snatches the ball out of the air suggests he could develop that tool. Keen to find space, he’s an explosive catch-to-attack player, but his rigid post-catch movement makes it difficult to shake tacklers in space.
There’s untapped potential in Arroyo’s game. He possesses the size, speed, and football IQ to be a matchup problem as a big slot, but he will need to improve as an in-line blocker and add functional strength to round out as a tight end.
Prospect Projection: Day 2 — Adequate Starter
Written By: Daniel Harms
Exposures: Georgia Tech (2024), Wake Forest (2024), Syracuse (2024), Virginia Tech (2024)
