NY Giants lineman Elijah Chatman could make the roster after going viral by chasing Texans RB JJ Taylor – NBC New York

As a defensive tackle under 6 feet tall, Elijah Chatman does not meet the requirements for a job in the NFL.

Nobody drafted him. Nobody signed him as a free agent after the draft. The Seattle Seahawks even offered him a tryout and then said no thanks.

A week later, the New York Giants gave him a chance and now it seems pretty certain that the small 23-year-old from SMU in Shreveport, Louisiana, will end up on New York's 53-man roster.

Chatman had seen some action with the first-team defense over the past few weeks before going viral last weekend. The 278-pound man came from far behind to catch Houston Texans running back JJ Taylor after a long run.

Carl Banks, a Giants radio commentator who called the game on local television, said that play got Chatman on the roster.

“I've been running like that my whole life, man,” Chatman said after Tuesday's practice. “There's a ton of clips from high school to college to now. You know what I mean? I don't think that was anything out of the ordinary for me, if you know me. But it happened to be filmed and shown by the NFL.”

Assistant general manager Brandon Brown said Chatman was an underdog in the draft, but there were many positives. He was athletic, a captain, ran for 1,600 yards in high school, played punt and kickoff coverage, was an excellent high school wrestler and powerlifter and is the son of a lumberjack.

“When you put all of that together, there are a lot of characteristics from an intangible perspective and then the metrics that rely on our analytics department,” Brown said.

Chatman also has a big heart. He doesn't see his size as a disadvantage.

“I don't see myself as small, even though I'm small compared to the average defensive lineman,” he said, who says he's 6-foot-1, although his height is listed as 6-foot-1. “But I just go out there and do my best and let God do the rest.”

What is obvious is that Chatham has made an impression. Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence has gone up to Chatman during practice and talked to him about plays and offered advice. He tells him to use his speed and momentum to his advantage. The only thing he doesn't have to mention is to keep his pads low. That comes naturally.

Chatman, who also forced two holding calls against Houston on Saturday, insists he didn't listen to all the noise after his big run-down play, which proved irrelevant because Taylor had stepped out of the field 20 yards downfield.

He said he's still working to get better and make the roster, and if it's not with the Giants, he's not giving up on his dream.

“I had a decision. I wanted to play in the NFL,” he said. “That was my only goal. And I'm still pursuing it.”

NOTES: The Giants are a little thin at the inside linebacker position. Starter Micah McFadden has a hip injury and is out from week to week, as are backups Matt Adams (groin) and Dyontae Johnson (ankle). Sixth-round draft pick Darius Muasau played alongside Bobby Okereke on the first team on Tuesday.