NFL rookie earns roster spot after insane viral hustle play

Elijah Chatman is doing everything necessary to complete the 53-man squad for the New York Giants. NFL The fans are taking notice, and so is the management.

The 23-year-old rookie made quite an impression in a warm-up game on Saturday!

Chatman signed with the Giants as an undrafted free agent in April after a five-year career at SMU. He's a former three-star recruit who earned a starting spot with the Mustangs as a sophomore in 2020 and finished his time in Dallas with 148 tackles, 80 pressures, 13.5 sacks and 34.5 tackles for loss. A strong senior year earned him First Team All-ACC honors for good reason.

In addition to his play on the field, Chatman is a physical prodigy. On paper, he is below average size at just 6'1″ and 275 pounds, which doesn't reflect his strength.

Giants defensive line coach Andre Patterson recently told the media that Chatman might be the strongest player on the team. He does 185-pound dumbbell rows just as a challenge and lifts more than 505 pounds. His 40-yard dash of 4.85 seconds is in the 90th percentile for defensive tackles and his 10-yard split of 1.71 seconds is in the 75th percentile. As are his 31-inch vertical jumps!

Chatman's unusual speed and strength fit very well into defensive coordinator Shane Bowen's aggressive system, and it seemed likely after the first few weeks of practice that the overlooked lineman would get a chance to play alongside Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence and Kayvon Thibodeaux.

A viral chase-down tackle on Saturday should secure his spot. Chatman mounted his horse and ran 40 yards down the field to make a touchdown-saving tackle on Texans running back JJ Taylor – who easily ran 40 yards in 4.61 seconds. That's pretty crazy!!!