Cornelius Marquis Elder (born October 9, 1994) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

for the

Houston Roughnecks The Houston Roughnecks are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is an owned-and-operated member of the new XFL founded by Vince McMahon's Alpha Entertainment and plays its home games at TDECU Stadium. History ...

of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

and was selected by the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

in the fifth round of the

2017 NFL Draft The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia ...

. Elder has also been a member of the New York Giants and Detroit Lions.

Early years

Elder was a four-star

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

coming out of high school and was a back to back Mr. Football Player of the Year in Tennessee. He was a two-sport star in high school and had a basketball offer from

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and mone ...

. When he first arrived at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...

, he joined the basketball team. After a torn meniscus in his right knee, he decided to focus solely on football.

Professional career

Carolina Panthers (first stint)

Elder was selected by the

in the fifth round, 152nd overall, in the

. On September 3, 2017, he was placed on injured reserve due to a knee injury. Elder was waived during final roster cuts on August 30, 2019.

New York Giants

On September 2, 2019, Elder was signed to the practice squad of the New York Giants.

Carolina Panthers (second stint)

On November 12, 2019, Elder was signed by the Panthers off the Giants' practice squad.

Detroit Lions

Elder signed with the Detroit Lions on April 1, 2021. He was released on August 31, 2021.

Carolina Panthers (third stint)

On September 14, 2021, Elder was signed to the Panthers' practice squad.

Washington Football Team / Commanders

Elder was signed off of the Panthers' practice squad by the

Washington Football Team The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...

on October 13, 2021. He re-signed on January 11, 2022. On August 30, 2022, Elder was waived by the Commanders and signed to the practice squad the next day.

Houston Roughnecks

On March 6, 2024, Elder was signed by the

of the United Football League (UFL).

References

External links

Miami Hurricanes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elder, Corn 1994 births Living people American football cornerbacks Carolina Panthers players Detroit Lions players Houston Roughnecks (2024) players Miami Hurricanes football players New York Giants players Players of American football from Nashville, Tennessee Washington Commanders players Washington Football Team players Sportspeople from Murfreesboro, Tennessee The Ensworth School alumni