Sam Roush Prospect Profile
Background
Sam Roush was born in Atlanta but spent his childhood moving across two continents. He lived in Atlanta, Pleasanton, California, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Kuala Lumpur, San Jose, and Jakarta, Indonesia, where he played rugby for the Jakarta Komodo Rugby Club and competed on a world championship X-Prize Ocean Quest Engineering team. His mother didn't allow him to play football until high school, so he channeled his athleticism into rugby and basketball first. The bloodlines were there regardless: his father played defensive back at Duke, his mother played volleyball at Montana State, his grandfather Phil Olsen played for the Rams, Broncos, and Bills, and his great uncle is Pro Football Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen. He eventually settled at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, where he was coached by Super Bowl-winning quarterback Trent Dilfer, won Tennessee Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2021, and helped lead the team to a state championship. A four-star recruit, he committed to Stanford, where he majored in computer science, appeared in all 48 games across four seasons, and improved his production every year. His final year finishing with 49 catches for 545 yards in 2025 to lead all ACC tight ends in receiving yards before declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Physical Attributes
RAS:
That is the highest in the class and the 11th-ranked TE RAS of all time. Everything on the field looks just as good. The way he moves out there, he looks more like a WR sometimes. Has random T-Rex arms, but it did not seem to affect his play.
Data and Tape Analysis
If you are unfamiliar with my TE radar charts, you can find more information here
I think this might be the largest disagreement between myself and the chart I have seen so far.Let's address each aspect, data point by data point.
The route running grades. I do not think I saw a single man coverage snap where Roush did not get open. He outruns defenders, drops his hips to decelerate and change direction very well, and does not add any fluff to his routes. In what I watched, it should easily be 20 points higher. Zone is a different story. He chooses odd spots to settle in, and makes life a little more difficult than it needs to be, so I would say that one is only slightly off.
His YAC is phenomenal. His speed, strength, and size force defenders to make a business decision. Never one they are happy to make, and because of that he is always gaining extra yards.
The drop rate. High, yes, but an anomaly in his college career. When he previously had better QB play in 2024, his hands were glue, and he only had two drops all year. The few I saw on tape were a little harshly awarded against him.
That contested catch rate will probably be a little better in his career, but he does not excel in that area. The one place his short arms really bring a disadvantage.
Blocking. Roush has an incredible motor and does a really solid job. He generates decent pushback in the run game and stays connected. In the passing game, he struggles to mirror edge rushers going outside of him, but there are maybe two TEs in the NFL who do that and have his receiving ability. Otherwise, he stands up well enough to help give his QB time. I also love his chips; he has one hell of a punch that knocks DL off their path.
Grade and Outlook
I am dangerously high on Sam Roush. He fits the mold of a lot of other TEs who have excelled in recent years out of later rounds. Bet on the athletic freak at TE always, but this dude can play already! What a dream.
Grade: 5.8 (Late 2nd Rounder / Early 3rd Rounder)