The 2022 NFL Draft will be a great event for teams to start building for their future. Here is the Kaiir Elam 2022 NFL Draft Profile.
Position: Cornerback
Size: 6-foot-1, 191 pounds
Class: Junior
2021 stats: 29 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 5 passes defended
Elam didn’t have his best season in 2021, but had a solid career at Florida. He is now a part of the 2022 NFL Draft class.
As an in-state, four-star prospect, Elam decided to follow some family ties to play for Florida. He cracked the starting lineup with five starts as a freshman and had two interceptions and four passes defended. His role increased into a full-time starter in 2020, with Elam posting two interceptions and 11 passes defended. The Gators went 8-4 and made the Cotton Bowl following that season. As a junior, he had one interception and five passes defended for Florida. They went 6-7 that season.
Following the 2021 season, Elam decided to leave Florida for the pros. He is currently projected to be a first or second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Elam has solid size, strength and length for an NFL corner. He is over 6-foot-1 and weighs in at 191 pounds, which gives him a solid frame to work with. With that comes decent play strength. Elam also has solid length with 30 and 7/8-inch arms.
Partially because of his solid build, Elam is a good press-man corner. He can disrupt wide receivers early in plays with his length, strength and physicality. After redirecting, he can mirror well and has the athleticism to match up with solid wide receivers.
In zone coverage, Elam demonstrates good eyes and reads the quarterback. He then is able to jump and make plays on the ball because of his good athleticism. His ability to play both zone and man should make him appealing to a lot of teams.
He doesn’t show consistent tackling ability. While Elam has the frame to be a good tackler, he hasn’t always played that way. Elam can be seen diving at ankles rather than completing good form tackles. He did improve on this throughout his career, but still has some work to do.
His lack of tackling comes into play in his below-average run defense. He doesn’t shed blocks well and doesn’t have the competitive fire to really stop the run. Elam also sometimes has trouble tracking the ball and will need to work on that at the next level.
In coverage, Elam can get beat deep. He struggles with speedy receivers and ones that run good routes. This is a little surprising, as he ran a good 40-yard dash time at the combine, but needs to harness that into game-speed. If he trusts his technique, it will help him from giving up big plays.
Projected Draft Range: First Round Pick-Second Round Pick
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