Indiana wide receiver and 2026 NFL Draft prospect Elijah Sarratt’s status is in question for the Hoosiers’ Week 11 matchup versus Penn State. Will Sarratt play, or will he sit out? Here’s the latest.
Elijah Sarratt’s Injury Status vs. Penn State in Week 11
After leaving the Maryland game with a hamstring injury, Sarratt was listed as a game-time decision for the Indiana Hoosiers’ Week 11 contest against the Penn State Nittany Lions.
During the team’s warm-up, college football insider Pete Thamel noted that Sarratt was not running routes with the other WRs, casting doubt over his availability for the coming clash.
Elijah Sarratt is not running routes, a sign he’s unlikely to play today for Indiana at Penn State. https://t.co/bC9wTB1FDi
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 8, 2025
If the Hoosiers are without Sarratt as is expected, more of the receiving volume will go to fellow 2026 NFL Draft prospect Omar Cooper Jr. and sixth-year senior E.J. Williams.
Fernando Mendoza still shouldn’t have too much trouble producing against a Penn State secondary that’s had its struggles in 2025, but Sarratt’s absence will be noticeable.
Through eight games played in the 2025 campaign, Sarratt has logged 45 catches for 609 yards and 10 touchdowns. In PFSN’s CFB WRi database, Sarratt has a solid score of 80.3.
He eclipsed over 3,000 career receiving yards earlier in the year, and is on the cusp of 40 career receiving TDs — a storied career that’s spanned three schools.
Elijah Sarratt’s 2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report
Sarratt presently grades as a mid-to-late Day 2 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on PFSN’s board. At 6’2″, 209 pounds, Sarratt has great size and lean mass — but it’s his toughness, play strength, and icy catch-point composure that takes his game to the next level.
Of the WRs in the 2026 NFL Draft, Sarratt is one of the most instinctive at the catch point. He has elite catch-point positioning and body control, and an incredibly sharp sense of timing, that allows him to bait defenders into playing specific leverages, wherein he can then capitalize.
Sarratt will be a 23-year old rookie in 2026, and as his lacking pedigree alludes to, he’s not a top-end athlete. His non-elite burst and vertical speed both show up on film, but he supplements his athletic profile with great functional quickness and control for his size.
Overall, Sarratt has the requisite short-area malleability, foot speed, and route refinement to separate on quick slants, digs, and double moves, and he’s a venerable 1-on-1 presence with all of the soft skills to take advantage of 50-50 opportunities.
At the very least, he’ll be a strong rotational NFL WR with blocking utility, and WR2/3 upside is there in an offense that accentuates his strengths.
