When a new head coach comes to town, nothing is guaranteed. Last year's depth chart goes out the window, creating space for lesser-known young players to make a name for themselves.
As training camp approaches, New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel will be watching to see who stands out in practice. Rookie edge rusher Elijah Ponder will be hoping to put himself on Vrabel's radar. If he doesn't, he might not make the Patriots' roster.
Patriots rookie Elijah Ponder has an uphill battle to make the roster
The Patriots were more aggressive than any other team in free agency this offseason. They spent heavily, especially on defense.
While that's a good sign for the team's outlook this year, it's bad news for fringe rookies like Elijah Ponder.
Ponder, the former Cal Poly edge rusher, has a long way to go to make New England's final roster. The Patriots signed Ponder as one of their many undrafted free agent additions. He was the only edge rusher in the group, but there are still plenty of players currently ahead of him on the depth chart.
The Patriots spent big to bring in former Tennessee Titans edge rusher Harold Landry III. They added K'Lavon Chaisson as a rotational rusher. Then, they drafted LSU product Bradyn Swinson in the fifth round of the draft.
Chaisson and Swinson may not be ready to make a major impact right away, but they should at least play a role.
New England clearly wanted to improve on the edge, but with so many new faces, Ponder may fade into the background.
He'll have to use the impressive tools in his arsenal to stand out at training camp. Ponder is a bit undersized at 6'2" and 257 pounds, but he brings the explosiveness necessary to get around the edge.
If Ponder can use that athleticism to separate himself from the other edge rushers at Patriots' training camp, he could start to climb up the depth chart.
But he'll need to hit the ground running against players more physically gifted than any that he's played against before. There are plenty of examples of small-school defenders successfully making the leap to the NFL, including Patriots' Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler, but it's certainly an uphill battle.
There are plenty of factors working against Ponder making the Patriots' final roster. But he can overcome all of them by earning his job at training camp.