Elijah Arroyo's journey to the NFL is a story of being able to overcome adversity. A four-star recruit from Independence High School in Frisco, Texas, Arroyo was ranked among the top tight ends nationally (No. 4 TE and No. 21 player in Texas by 247Sports). His high school performance earned him offers from several top programs and he chose to commit to the University of Miami. His high school performance also earned him the honor of high expectations, which would take Arroyo a while to meet.
At Miami, Arroyo's early collegiate years were marred by injuries. He played in 12 games as a freshman in 2021, tallying five receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown. In 2022, he appeared in five games before a season-ending injury (torn ACL), finishing with five catches for 66 yards. The 2023 season saw limited action due to recovery, with Arroyo participating in six games and recording one reception for 11 yards. At this point there were concerns on if Arroyo would ever be able to reach his potential and meet the expectations he had coming out of high school.
But then Arroyo finally put it all together in 2024. He started all 13 games, amassing 35 receptions for 590 yards and seven touchdowns. His performance earned him Second-Team All-ACC honors and a spot at the Reese's Senior Bowl, where he further impressed scouts.
Unfortunately, as many stories go, Arroyo's progress has not been linear and he suffered another injury during his time at the Senior Bowl which kept him out of parts of the pre-draft process. Luckily for Arroyo, it was not as serious as what he had dealt with in the past.
Leading up to the NFL Draft, many projections had Arroyo going in the 2nd round, but the injury concerns could have made him fall. Fortunately, the Seattle Seahawks selected Arroyo with the 50th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, thus giving his story an exclamation point. Arroyo's path shows growth as he overcame early setbacks to emerge as a promising NFL talent. And his story is not over yet as he has a chance to make his injury history a footnote in his playing career.