Notre Dame's Eli Raridon showcases NFL potential at Shrine Bowl. His size and skills hint at a future star, despite past injury setbacks.
The road to the NFL Draft has begun, and one of the first events has concluded. The Shrine Bowl wrapped up earlier this week on January 27 and several big name college football players participated including Notre Dame tight end Eli Raridon who is looking to raise his draft stock. The Iowa native has an NFL frame and has the backing of being an alum of 'Tight End U'. Raridon started to gain notoriety throughout the week of practice at the Shrine Bowl.
"Texas tight end Jack Endries may wind up as the highest-drafted Shrine Bowl tight end, but Raridon really helped himself in front of scouts. A big target at 6-5, 244 with 10 5/8-inch hands, Raridon consistently worked his way open over the middle during team periods and showed good hand strength at the catch point.Raridon topped out at 19.2 miles per hour on the GPS, too, making him one of several fast-moving tight ends in Frisco. LSU’s Bauer Sharp (21.19) was actually the fastest player on the field, regardless of position." - Nick Baumgardner, The Athletic
Raridon finished the regular season as Notre Dame's third leading receiver behind Jordan Faison, who returns in 2026, and Malachi Fields, who is currently making his presence felt at the Senior Bowl. The 6-7, 252-pound tight end finished 2025 with 32 receptions, 482 yards and averaged 15.1 yards per catch. Not for a lack of effort, but it was shocking to see Raridon end the season with zero touchdown receptions.
In 2025, he was tasked with taking over the No. 1 tight end position at Notre Dame, a position that has generated countless NFL Draft picks; Raridon looks to be the next in line. Raridon started the season off with a bang hauling in five catches for 97 yards against Miami in the opener. He followed that up with a four catch, 85-yard performance against Texas A&M in the home opener.
Raridon ended his Fighting Irish career with 48 receptions, 623 receiving yards, averaged 13.0 yards per catch and three touchdowns. His 15.1 yards per catch in 2025 was his career high. He played in five games this season with over 15.6 yards per catch including a seven receptions, 109-yard performance at home against NC State.
The Iowa native is a big bodied tight end that will be a vertical threat in the pass game at the next level and is a more-than-capable run blocker when playing attached to the line of scrimmage. His career production isn't as high as other Notre Dame tight ends that have been drafted due to injuries suffered early in his collegiate career. Thankfully, in 2024 he played in all 16 games and remained healthy. This past season, he started and played in all 12 games.
As things stand right now, Raridon won't be a day one or day two draft pick, but will be a steal for whoever elects to take him in later rounds. Health will always be a concern for the Notre Dame tight end, but his last two seasons, health wise, will boost a lot of confidence in the 6-7, 252-pound tight end.
A couple of other players, who Notre Dame has familiarity with, also stood out at the Shrine bowl including Navy's Eli Heidenreich and USC's Eric Gentry, two players Notre Dame faced this past regular season.
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