Introduction:
Kaiir Elam, CB for the Florida Gators, has made a name for himself throughout his college career by shutting down the best receivers in the SEC. Throughout the past year, Elam allowed only 18 catches for 165 yards on 33 defensed targets. Elam is a long, rangy, and physical corner who has the vision to play zone coverage with the fluidity to play man coverage.
Fansided
The Florida CB reminds me a lot of the Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell, as they both have similar size, athleticism, and production profiles out of college football.
NFL Combine Measurables
Height – 6’2
Weight – 196 LBS
40 Time – 4.39 Seconds
Hands - 8 ⅞’
Arms - 30 ⅞’
Prospect Grade (according to NFL.com) - 6.38 (eventually will be a plus starter)
Career Notes:
Our seasoned NFL readers may recognize the Elam surname. Kaiir’s Uncle, Matt, was the first round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2013 and Kaiir’s Father, Abram, spent seven years in the NFL for various franchises.
Kaiir Elam was a four star recruit out of high school and was in high demand as he received 27 offers from colleges. Only one program would make sense for Elam, however, as he looked to emulate his Uncle’s success at Florida.
In his freshman season, Elam didn’t see much action. He still won SEC All-Freshman honors, however, by posting 10 tackles and 2 interceptions.
Elam got his breakthrough in his sophomore year when the Gators lost their top cornerback C.J. Henderson to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2020 NFL Draft. Elam saw a significant increase in his production levels as he played in 12 games and amassed 39 tackles, 1.0 tackles for a loss, 2 interceptions, and a fumble recovery. This led to Elam receiving first-team All-SEC honors.
This past year, Elam was halted by injuries. He was able to play in 10 games for Florida and accumulated 29 tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss, and one interception.
Scouting Report:
Positives:
Elam has the ideal height for a corner, standing at 6 '3, and also has excellent vertical skills which enable him to go up and contest balls with ease. Moreover, even at 193 lbs, he moves around with a good level of pace and is impressively agile. Every time I watch Elam, he seems to be swatting away the ball, coming up with the ball, or disrupting plays.
Elam is also a former track runner in high school, evidenced by his elite speed which will assist him with opposing high speed receivers. Furthermore, this gives Elam the platform to be very aggressive in press coverage, where he allowed an average of 0.5yds per snap when playing in press–insanely impressive numbers.
He is a physical corner who has active hands and makes it difficult for a receiver to catch the ball. If you’re interested in seeing this for yourself, view Elam’s tape from his game against Alabama’s star wide receiver John Metchie III, which showcases this in abundance.
Negatives:
Elam needs to work on his tackling as he failed to wrap up ball carriers at times in his college career. All too often, he took questionable angles by second guessing himself. This led to him overshooting some plays that he should have made.
In the run game, Elam must shed blocks more often. He will need to work on his strength to improve his shedding ability but has shown the potential to be a good shedder if he improves his strength.
Pre Draft Analysis:
Expected Draft Capital:
1st Round
Landing Spots:
I think we will see the name “Elam” on the back of the Ravens jersey once again. The Ravens had problems at the cornerback position last year and they need dynamic playmakers in coverage to help them improve their blitz packages. Notably, Elam ticks the boxes as he is efficient in coverage and has the profile to become a big playmaker for the Ravens.
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By Luke Renton
For a second straight season, I am betting against Mahomes.