Eli Rogers

Eli Lamar Rogers (born December 23, 1992) is an American former professional football wide receiver. He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2015.

Rogers played for head coach Billy Rolle at Northwestern High School. Among his teammates was future Pittsburgh Steelers teammate Artie Burns. He joined teammates Teddy Bridgewater, Amari Cooper, Michaelee Harris, Corvin Lamb, and Jermaine Reve when he played in the Under Armour All-American Game. A four-star prospect by Rivals.com and rated as the No. 35 wide receiver, Rogers recorded 59 receptions for 691 receiving yards with three scores as a senior despite being injured for two games.

As a freshman at the University of Louisville in 2011, Rogers played for the Louisville Cardinals. On October 15, Rogers recorded the Cardinals' longest reception, 58 yards against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Paul Brown Stadium, but lost the game, 25–16. Rogers had a productive season that led the Louisville Cardinals to the 2011 Belk Bowl, but the team lost against the NC State Wolfpack, 31–24. Rogers finished third in school history in receptions and sixth in receiving yards. Rogers finished the season with 454 receiving yards, 41 receptions, 1 touchdown. He had 7 receptions and eight punt returns for 54 yards in the 2013 Belk Bowl.

In 2012, Rogers finished second on the team with 46 receptions and third with 505 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. He also had a career-high 10 receptions against Syracuse. In the Sugar Bowl he had 4 catches for 61 yards in a win over Florida.

As a junior in 2013, Rogers played in all 13 games with one start. He finished third on the team with 44 receptions and 536 receiving yards. He also tied his career-high of 10 receptions in a game against UCF and his career-high of 4 receiving touchdowns during the season. He led the Cardinals to the 2013 Russell Athletic Bowl, winning 36–9 over the Miami Hurricanes.

During his senior year in 2014, Rogers saw action in all 13 games and had 45 receptions, 525 receiving yards and 3 receiving touchdowns. He also had a career-high 112 punt return yards.

Coming out of Louisville, Rogers was projected to go undrafted in the 2015 NFL draft and was not a highly sought after undrafted free agent. He also did not receive an invitation to the NFL Combine. On March 11, 2015, he participated at Louisville's pro day and performed all of the required combine and positional drills for team representatives and scouts. Representatives from all 32 NFL teams were present, including New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, and Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert to scout Rogers, DeVante Parker, Jamon Brown, Gerald Christian, Gerod Holliman, and 17 other prospects. He was ranked as the 132nd-best wide receiver prospect available in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.

Rogers signed a three-year contract worth $1.575 million as an undrafted free agent with the Steelers. He spent the entire 2015 season on injured reserve.