Elijah Daniel Raridon (born February 12, 2004) is an American professional football tight end for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and was selected by the Patriots in the third round of the 2026 NFL draft.
Early life Raridon attended Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa. As a senior, he had 53 receptions for 627 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was ranked among the top tight ends in his class and committed to the University of Notre Dame to play college football.
College career Raridon spent the first three years at Notre Dame as a backup, recording 16 receptions for 141 yards and three touchdowns over 28 games. He took over as the starter his senior season in 2025. In the first game of the season, he had five receptions for 97 yards.
Statistics Year Team GP Receiving Rec Yds Avg TD 2022 Notre Dame 5 0 0 – 0 2023 Notre Dame 7 5 51 10.2 1 2024 Notre Dame 16 11 90 8.2 2 2025 Notre Dame 12 32 482 15.1 0Career 40 48 623 13.0 3
Professional career
Raridon was selected by the New England Patriots in the third round with the 95th overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
Raridon scored the first touchdown of his career, and the first touchdown of the 2026 NFL season, on his first-ever NFL reception, in the Patriots' Week 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Personal life His grandfather, Scott Raridon Sr., played offensive line for Nebraska and was a sixth-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1984 NFL draft, and was a strength coach on Notre Dame's 1988 National Championship team. His father, Scott Raridon Jr., also played college football at Notre Dame.
Raridon married his high school sweetheart, Anna Bernhard, in May 2025. Their son, Peter James Raridon, was born on September 11th, 2026, and died shortly afterward from anencephaly.
References
External links New England Patriots bio Notre Dame Fighting Irish bio