# Kaleb Elarms-Orr
**Kaleb Elarms-Orr** (born 2003) is an American professional football linebacker for the [Buffalo Bills](https://www.edgepedia.org/buffalo-bills) of the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league) (NFL). He played college football at California, where he became a starter in 2023, before transferring to TCU, where he earned First-Team All-Big 12 honors in 2025. The Bills selected him in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft with the 126th overall pick.[1](https://www.buffalobills.com/news/i-take-a-lot-of-pride-in-tackling-3-things-to-know-about-bills-2026-nfl-draft-pick-lb-kaleb-elarms-orr) • [2](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/26723493/kaleb-elarms-orr/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position, team | Linebacker, No. 52, Buffalo Bills; rookie in 2026[3](https://www.nfl.com/players/kaleb-elarms-orr/) |
| Physical | 6 feet 2 inches, 234 pounds, 31½-inch arms, 9-inch hands[3](https://www.nfl.com/players/kaleb-elarms-orr/) • [4](https://www.ffsn.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ILB-prospects-in-the-2026-draft-03-30-2026.pdf) |
| Born | 2003, in Hayward, California; 23-year-old rookie[5](https://jonledyard.substack.com/p/2026-nfl-draft-scouting-report-tcu) • [3](https://www.nfl.com/players/kaleb-elarms-orr/) |
| College | California, then TCU; 47 games and 276 total tackles over a five-year career[6](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/kaleb-elarms-orr-1.html) • [7](https://www.frogsowar.com/big12-football/48848/2025-tcu-football-season-recap-leading-sacker-kaleb-elarms-orr-paces-linebackers) |
| 2025 season | 130 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, 4 sacks, 6 quarterback hits; First-Team All-Big 12[1](https://www.buffalobills.com/news/i-take-a-lot-of-pride-in-tackling-3-things-to-know-about-bills-2026-nfl-draft-pick-lb-kaleb-elarms-orr) |
| Draft | Fourth round, 126th overall, 2026 NFL Draft, Buffalo Bills[1](https://www.buffalobills.com/news/i-take-a-lot-of-pride-in-tackling-3-things-to-know-about-bills-2026-nfl-draft-pick-lb-kaleb-elarms-orr) |
| Combine | Official 4.47-second 40-yard dash, third fastest among linebackers at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine[1](https://www.buffalobills.com/news/i-take-a-lot-of-pride-in-tackling-3-things-to-know-about-bills-2026-nfl-draft-pick-lb-kaleb-elarms-orr) |
## College career
**California.** Elarms-Orr spent the first three years of his collegiate career at Cal, where he emerged as a starter in 2023.[2](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/26723493/kaleb-elarms-orr/) He was not a full-time inside linebacker until 2023, and he has credited his development to his work ethic and leadership.[1](https://www.buffalobills.com/news/i-take-a-lot-of-pride-in-tackling-3-things-to-know-about-bills-2026-nfl-draft-pick-lb-kaleb-elarms-orr)
**TCU.** He transferred to TCU and played the previous two seasons there, serving primarily as a top reserve linebacker in 2024 before breaking out in 2025.[7](https://www.frogsowar.com/big12-football/48848/2025-tcu-football-season-recap-leading-sacker-kaleb-elarms-orr-paces-linebackers) • [2](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/26723493/kaleb-elarms-orr/) In his fifth-year 2025 season he recorded a career-high 130 tackles across 13 games, leading TCU with 4.0 sacks, with 11 tackles for a loss and two passes defensed also team-best or near-team-best marks.[1](https://www.buffalobills.com/news/i-take-a-lot-of-pride-in-tackling-3-things-to-know-about-bills-2026-nfl-draft-pick-lb-kaleb-elarms-orr) • [2](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/26723493/kaleb-elarms-orr/) The production earned him First-Team All-[Big 12 Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/big-12-conference) honors, and he was named to the conference's first-team linebacker spot on the 2025 All-Big 12 teams.[1](https://www.buffalobills.com/news/i-take-a-lot-of-pride-in-tackling-3-things-to-know-about-bills-2026-nfl-draft-pick-lb-kaleb-elarms-orr) • [8](https://www.kstatesports.com/documents/download/2026/3/25/2026_K-State_Football_Spring_Prospectus.pdf) Across his five-year college career he played 47 games and totaled 276 tackles, 19.0 tackles for a loss, 7.0 sacks, and one interception.[6](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/kaleb-elarms-orr-1.html) • [5](https://jonledyard.substack.com/p/2026-nfl-draft-scouting-report-tcu) He accepted an invitation to the 2026 Senior Bowl.[9](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/sports/watch-senior-bowl-2026)
## Draft and athletic testing
At the 2026 [NFL Scouting Combine](https://www.edgepedia.org/nfl-scouting-combine), Elarms-Orr ran an official 4.47-second 40-yard dash, the third fastest time among all linebackers, measuring 6-foot-2 and 234 pounds.[1](https://www.buffalobills.com/news/i-take-a-lot-of-pride-in-tackling-3-things-to-know-about-bills-2026-nfl-draft-pick-lb-kaleb-elarms-orr) One scouting profile placed his 40-yard dash at the 95th percentile for the position.[10](https://www.patspulpit.com/new-england-patriots-draft/126068/kaleb-elarms-orr-scouting-report-bio-outlook-linebacker-tcu)
The Buffalo Bills selected him in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. The team's official announcement and [CBS Sports](https://www.edgepedia.org/cbs-sports) give the pick as 126th overall,[1](https://www.buffalobills.com/news/i-take-a-lot-of-pride-in-tackling-3-things-to-know-about-bills-2026-nfl-draft-pick-lb-kaleb-elarms-orr) • [2](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/26723493/kaleb-elarms-orr/) while NFL.com's draft video describes the selection as the No. 125 overall pick acquired via a trade with the [New England Patriots](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-england-patriots).[3](https://www.nfl.com/players/kaleb-elarms-orr/) He had visited Buffalo before the draft and said he loved the Bills staff and the city.[1](https://www.buffalobills.com/news/i-take-a-lot-of-pride-in-tackling-3-things-to-know-about-bills-2026-nfl-draft-pick-lb-kaleb-elarms-orr)
## Scouting evaluation
Scouts describe Elarms-Orr as fitting the mold of the modern off-ball linebacker: an explosive player combining sideline-to-sideline speed, agility, and a quick downhill trigger.[10](https://www.patspulpit.com/new-england-patriots-draft/126068/kaleb-elarms-orr-scouting-report-bio-outlook-linebacker-tcu) When he diagnoses a play correctly, he uses lower-body explosiveness to plant, redirect, and accelerate into his gap.[11](https://steelersdepot.com/2026/03/2026-nfl-draft-scouting-report-tcu-lb-kaleb-elarms-orr/)
The recurring criticisms concern processing and block engagement. Evaluators note that he does not always play as fast as his athleticism suggests, can be a step slow to react, and at times shows tunnel vision.[10](https://www.patspulpit.com/new-england-patriots-draft/126068/kaleb-elarms-orr-scouting-report-bio-outlook-linebacker-tcu) • [11](https://steelersdepot.com/2026/03/2026-nfl-draft-scouting-report-tcu-lb-kaleb-elarms-orr/) A detailed 2026 report found his run defense improved when he could key on pullers, but that against duo and zone rushing concepts he struggled to play downhill and stay gap-sound, and that he steps into contact too gently, sometimes getting stuck or turned out of his gap.[5](https://jonledyard.substack.com/p/2026-nfl-draft-scouting-report-tcu) A Scouting Grade report projected him as a space-match overhang backer best used when the read path is defined, with a 79th-percentile production grade and a round 3-4 range.[12](https://scoutinggrade.com/players/kaleb-elarms-orr)
## NFL career
Elarms-Orr signed with Buffalo after the draft and entered the 2026 season as a rookie behind starting inside linebackers Terrel Bernard and Dorian Williams, with CBS Sports noting that his speed of play should provide a rotational floor and upside to develop into a playmaker.[2](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/26723493/kaleb-elarms-orr/) Through the first five games of the 2026 season he appeared in 5 games with 0 starts, recording 10 combined tackles (3 solo, 7 assisted) and one pass defensed.[13](https://www.buffalobills.com/team/players-roster/kaleb-elarms-orr/) [Pro Football Focus](https://www.edgepedia.org/pro-football-focus) credited him with an 82.5 overall defensive grade for the 2025 college season, ranking 51st among 813 qualified linebackers.[14](https://www.pff.com/ncaa/players/Kaleb%20Elarms-Orr/146306)
## References
1. ['I take a lot of pride in tackling' | 3 things to know about Bills NFL Draft pick LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr, BuffaloBills.com](https://www.buffalobills.com/news/i-take-a-lot-of-pride-in-tackling-3-things-to-know-about-bills-2026-nfl-draft-pick-lb-kaleb-elarms-orr)
2. [Kaleb Elarms-Orr, Buffalo Bills, LB - News, Stats, Bio, CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/26723493/kaleb-elarms-orr/)
3. [Kaleb Elarms-Orr Stats, News and Video - LB, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/kaleb-elarms-orr/)
4. [ILB prospects in the 2026 draft, FFSN](https://www.ffsn.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ILB-prospects-in-the-2026-draft-03-30-2026.pdf)
5. [2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report: TCU LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr, Jon Ledyard](https://jonledyard.substack.com/p/2026-nfl-draft-scouting-report-tcu)
6. [Kaleb Elarms-Orr College Stats, Sports-Reference](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/kaleb-elarms-orr-1.html)
7. [2025 TCU Football Season Recap: Leading sacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr paces linebackers, Frogs O' War](https://www.frogsowar.com/big12-football/48848/2025-tcu-football-season-recap-leading-sacker-kaleb-elarms-orr-paces-linebackers)
8. [2026 K-State Football Spring Prospectus (2025 All-Big 12 teams), K-State Sports](https://www.kstatesports.com/documents/download/2026/3/25/2026_K-State_Football_Spring_Prospectus.pdf)
9. [How to watch Senior Bowl 2026, Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/sports/watch-senior-bowl-2026)
10. [Patriots draft target: LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr scouting report, bio, outlook, Pats Pulpit](https://www.patspulpit.com/new-england-patriots-draft/126068/kaleb-elarms-orr-scouting-report-bio-outlook-linebacker-tcu)
11. [2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report: TCU LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr, Steelers Depot](https://steelersdepot.com/2026/03/2026-nfl-draft-scouting-report-tcu-lb-kaleb-elarms-orr/)
12. [Kaleb Elarms-Orr Scouting Report | 2026 NFL Draft, Scouting Grade](https://scoutinggrade.com/players/kaleb-elarms-orr)
13. [Kaleb Elarms-Orr player page, BuffaloBills.com](https://www.buffalobills.com/team/players-roster/kaleb-elarms-orr/)
14. [Kaleb Elarms-Orr | TCU Horned Frogs LB | NCAA and PFF stats, PFF](https://www.pff.com/ncaa/players/Kaleb%20Elarms-Orr/146306)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › Linebackers › Active professional linebackers › AFC linebackers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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