2022 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Kaiir Elam

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Kaiir Elam, 6-2/196 Cornerback Florida

Kaiir Elam Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell

Strengths:

Instinctive

Good ball skills

Dangerous interception skills; ball-hawk potential

Soft hands

Threat to take the ball away

Good route recognition

Can run the route with the receiver

Consistently prevents separation

Makes big plays in zone coverage

Smart covers up receivers in his area

Good length

Can jam receivers

Has some ball skills

Adept at taking on big receivers

Can outfight defenders on contested catches

Gritty, physical defender

Willing tackler

Can play zone coverage

Athletic upside

Has some quickness

Experienced

Weaknesses:

Could have problems with deep speed

Doesn’t have elite speed

Doesn’t have overly impressive twitchy

Doesn’t play as fast as timed speed

Poor tackler

Grabs too much

Summary: Florida has the nickname of “DB U” because of the plethora of quality cornerback prospects the program has produced for the NFL, and Elam will continue that tradition in the 2022 NFL Draft. As a freshman in 2019, Elam made an immediate impact with three interceptions and four passes defended despite being a rotational player. In 2020 and 2021, Elam was Florida’s best player on defense, doing did an excellent job against receivers. As a sophomore, Elam produced 39 tackles, two interceptions and 11 passes broken up. In 2021, Elam played really well to open the season, including an impressive performance against Alabama. After missing a few games with an injury, Elam has returned to the field and closed out the season playing well, totaling 27 tackles with three passes broken up and an interception over his 10 games.

Elam has the skill set to be a starting outside cornerback at the next level, including impressive instincts and good ball skills. He also has soft hands, making natural catches and playing the ball extremely well. Elam possesses ideal height and length to battle big receivers. While is willing to jam them at the line, he is a poor tackler and somewhat soft. He also grabs way too much on receivers and will have to improve on that to avoid painful penalties as a pro.



Being so instinctive allows Elam to thrive in zone coverage, and he is adept at picking up receivers who enter his territory. While Elam isn’t overly twitchy or fast, he does a nice job of running the route to prevent separation when in man coverage. Elam also is a disciplined corner who does not bite on double moves. He is not a gambler who sells out for interceptions and gives up an equal number of big plays. Elam is steady and reliable in coverage. Team sources feel he could be better off going to a team that plays a lot of zone coverage.

While Elam ran faster than teams expected at the combine, he does not play that fast and multiple team sources are concerned about matching him up on NFL speed receivers. They worry he won’t be able to carry verticals, which is a big reason why he could end up being a second-day pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Here are the comments of an area scout, “I like his size and he’s a good player, but the speed issue is something that can’t be coached or fixed so I graded him in the second. He could go in the first round to the right system. I think he has to play a lot of zone to protect him versus speed.”

Multiple team sources believe Elam is a prospect for Day 2 of the 2022 NFL Draft. He probably will be a second-round pick, but he could sneak into the bottom of Round 1.



Player Comparison: Brian Kelly. Elam compared well with former Buccaneers cornerback Brian Kelly. Like Elam, Kelly was a competitor who did a nice job of preventing separation while thriving as a zone corner. Kelly, hoewver, was very physical and a good tackler, while Elam must improve his tackling and physicality for the NFL. Kelly was a second-round pick in his draft class and was a key contributor to the 2002 Tampa Bay defense that was one of the top defenses in league history and led the franchise to a Super Bowl. In the NFL, Elam could be a corner similar to Kelly.

2022 NFL Draft Player Previews - Choose Player 2022 NFL Draft Player Previews - Home Adam Anderson, OLB, Georgia Calvin Austin, WR, Memphis Tyler Badie, RB, Missouri Amaré Barno, OLB, Virginia Tech Andrew Booth, CB, Clemson David Bell, WR, Purdue Nik Bonitto, OLB, Oklahoma Jaquan Brisker, S, Penn State Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas Zachary Carter, DE, Florida Leo Chenal, LB, Wisconsin Lewis Cine, S, Georgia Damone Clark, LB, LSU Micheal Clemons, DE, Texas A&M Bryan Cook, S, Cincinnati James Cook, RB, Georgia Yusuf Corker, S, Kentucky Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State Nick Cross, S, Maryland Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State Greg Dulcich, TE, UCLA Arnold Ebiketie, DE, Penn State Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida Ikem Ekwonu, OT, N.C. State Martin Emerson, CB, Mississippi State Kingsley Enagbare, DE, South Carolina Daniel Faalele, OT, Minnesota Luke Fortner, C, Kentucky Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner, CB, Cincinnati Luke Goedeke, G, Central Michigan Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington Kenyon Green, G, Texas A&M Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State Logan Hall, DE, Houston Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame Christian Harris, LB, Alabama Daxton Hill, S, Michigan Chasen Hines, G, LSU Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan Ed Ingram, G, LSU Drake Jackson, DE, USC Jermaine Johnson, DE, Florida State Zion Johnson, G, Boston College Travis Jones, DT, Connecticut Kerby Joseph, S, Illinois Cam Jurgens, C, Nebraska George Karlaftis, DE, Purdue Darian Kinnard, OT, Kentucky Charlie Kolar, TE, Iowa State DeMarvin Leal, DT, Texas A&M Isaiah Likely, TE, Coastal Carolina Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah Drake London, WR, USC Abraham Lucas, OT, Washington State Boye Mafe, DE, Minnesota Phidarian Mathis, DT, Alabama Trey McBride, TE, Colorado State Roger McCreary, CB, Auburn Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington Verone McKinley, S, Oregon John Metchie, WR, Alabama Skyy Moore, WR, Western Michigan Chad Muma, LB, Wyoming David Ojabo, DE, Michigan Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State Cade Otton, TE, Washington Evan Neal, OT, Alabama Josh Paschal, DE, Kentucky Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa Nick Petit-Frere, OT, Ohio State George Pickens, WR, Georgia Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh Alec Pierce, WR, Cincinnati Dameon Pierce, RB, Florida Jalen Pitre, S, Baylor Brock Purdy, QB, Iowa State Bernhard Raimann, OT, Central Michigan Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati John Ridgeway, DT, Arkansas Brian Robinson, RB, Alabama Wan'Dale Robinson, WR, Kentucky Justyn Ross, WR, Clemson Jeremy Ruckert, TE, Ohio State Jamaree Salyer, G, Georgia Tyler Smith, OT, Tulsa Isaiah Spiller, RB, Texas A&M Derek Stingley, CB, LSU Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon Cameron Thomas, DE, San Diego State Tyquan Thornton, WR, Baylor Kenneth Walker, RB, Michigan State Rasheed Walker, OT, Penn State Quay Walker, LB, Georgia Travon Walker, DE, Georgia Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State Zamir White, RB, Georgia Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama Malik Willis, QB, Liberty Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State Perrion Winfrey, DT, Oklahoma Tariq Woolen, CB, UTSA Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia Jalen Wydermyer, TE, Texas A&M

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