Indiana wide receiver Elijah Sarratt entered the 2026 NFL Draft as the 17th-ranked receiver and 120th-ranked player overall for us at PFSN, with an average draft position of 71.1 in PFSN’s mock drafts tracker. The prevailing opinion of Sarratt is generally consistent across other consensus big boards as well: although he ranks 108th on CBS Sports’ big board, he is The Athletics’ 69th-ranked player and both Pro Football Focus’s and ESPN’s 73rd-ranked player.
With the foundation established, let’s dive into why the big-bodied, back-shoulder companion of Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza remains available.
When Could Elijah Sarratt Get Drafted?
To simplify matters, Sarratt is a unique player. He’s certainly not unique in the sense that he lacked a recruiting pedigree as a prep prospect. What separates him from others is the productive capabilities at all three levels of Division One football. Even in the transfer portal era, we often don’t see it to the level we have with Sarratt.
Sarratt signed with Football Championship Subdivision Saint Francis out of high school and burst onto the scene as a true freshman, putting 13 of his 42 receptions into the end zone. He then transferred to Football Bowl Subdivision James Madison and tallied career highs in receptions (82) and yards (1,191) before following head coach Curt Cignetti in the Group of Six to Power Four transition to Indiana.
In his two years at Indiana, Sarratt secured 118 receptions for 1,787 yards and 23 touchdowns, including a career-best 15 last season.
Per the scouting report from our NFL Draft analysts, “At 6’2″, 209 pounds, Sarratt fits a mold of WR that has been polarizing time and time again on the NFL Draft circuit. He’s not the most explosive, nor does he have seam-stretching speed, but he has the necessary foot speed, sink, and tempo IQ to separate independently, and at the catch point, he’s a high-level convertor and a true late-hands master with extraordinary composure, timing sense, and body control.
“That toughness and play strength translate in the RAC phase as well, and as a blocker, where Sarratt brings consistent effort and plays smart.”
Ultimately, the difficulty of projecting Sarratt’s ability to separate at the NFL level has been the driving force behind his availability today. His PFSN mock draft tracker range is capped at pick 142, the second pick of the fifth round held by the Tennessee Titans. Truthfully, it wouldn’t shock me to see Tennessee stick-and-pick here and revisit the receiver well in an effort to put more weapons at Cam Ward’s disposal.
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