Georgia Football: Undrafted Bulldogs Pursue NFL Dreams

Running back Elijah Holyfield was the other Georgia Football player who was expecting to be drafted and was not. Holyfield who is from College Park, Georgia comes from an athletic pedigree, being the son of boxing legend and former Heavyweight Champion Evander Holyfield. Holyfield is a chiseled, muscular runner, who is 5’11 and weighs 217 pounds. Holyfield did not see much action in his first two years on campus, as he sat behind UGA greats Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, who are both now NFL starters.

When getting time as a primary running back alongside the explosive D’Andre Swift, Elijah Holyfield showed the College Football world what he was capable of. He exploded to run for over 1000 yards and found the end zone seven times. Holyfield finished his UGA career with 1340 yards and nine touchdowns, while averaging 6.2 yards per carry. Following his impressive junior season, Elijah Holyfield decided to leave UGA and declare for the NFL Draft. The main reasons that likely prevented him from being drafted, are his slow 40 yard dash time of 4.78 seconds and the fact that he offers little as a receiver. Elijah only caught seven passes for 63 yards as a Georgia Bulldog.

2018 Stats: Att:159  Yds:1018  Avg:6.4  TDs:7

PFF: Ovr:90.1  Run:88.6  Rec:50.2  Pass Blk:88.9

Draft analyst Lance Zierlein of NFL.com thought that Elijah Holyfield would be drafted in round six or seven. He compares Elijah to former Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram and offered this synopsis of Holyfield as a prospect:

"Bulldog runner in every sense of the word with his stout frame and aggressive running style but possessing the suddenness to elude tacklers and blow past linebackers. Holyfield is a frenetic back with a palpable energy that works in his favor but also causes diminished patience and impulsive run tracks at times. He was slow and unexplosive at the combine, and that will likely cause him to tumble way down the board, but his play traits could make him a solid backup."

Despite being undrafted, Elijah Holyfield will get his opportunity to play at the next level. He signed a free agent deal with the Carolina Panthers. If Elijah makes the Panthers roster he will be visiting Atlanta once a year, with his teammate Terry Godwin. This will give Georgia Football fans the opportunity to see them play live at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Ian Rappaport of NFL.com announced the signing via Twitter: