RD 1, Pick 23: CB Kaiir Elam, Florida

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

https://www.espn.com/blog/buffalo-bills/post/_/id/37210/buffalo-bills-nfl-draft-picks-2022-analysis-for-every-selection
 

Quote

Cornerback was the biggest area of need on the roster after losing Levi Wallace in free agency and with Tre'Davious White coming off a torn ACL in his left knee. Buffalo also had to trade up only two spots to get the last player with a first-round grade on their board.

 

Quote

Adding Elam gives the Bills needed speed at the cornerback position to help keep up with the wide receivers in the division and the conference. The 6-foot-1, 191-pound corner ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at the combine and Beane noted his ability to keep up with quick wide receivers.

 

[YoloinOhio]

Just now, Motor26 said:

Although I am a bit skeptical on his tackling ability, he appears to have great coverage skills, and I think will thrive in McDermott’s zone scheme. Bring on the rest of the draft!

He’s a willing tackler, needs to work on technique.  

Dolphins media:

 

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

 

[Milanos Milano]

I wanted to take Kaiir Elam initially but then climbed aboard the Breece train. I still want Hall in the 2nd, but now that some time has passed, I’d like to formerly congratulate Elam. Welcome to Buffalo kid, come be the best version of yourself. He’s fast and instinctive, which is why I originally wanted him. Tackling leaves a lot to be desired though, but you can’t teach speed and instincts. 

[RichRiderBills]

54 minutes ago, Solomon Grundy said:

He looks like Antoine Winfield Sr when compared to Levi Wallace as a tackler😎

 

Did you watch the gators at all the past 2 years? 

48 minutes ago, H2o said:

The only reason all of the negativity is being put out there by some of the bobblehead types is because of CJ Henderson. Florida guy, similar size, similar athletic profile, who busted in Jacksonville. Elam's coverage stats are better than Henderson were and the way they carry themselves is completely different. Elam also isn't afraid to tackle per say, he just needs to be coached up on his technique. Tre's knock was about his tackling as well. This kid is in the perfect culture, will be facing Diggs/Davis/Crowder/McKenzie every day in practice, and has White/Poyer/Hyde/Taron to learn from. If you all don't think he'll end up better than Levi Wallace, then you are sadly mistaken. Athletically, he is coming to the table with more than Wallace ever had and he WANTS to be great. This will be a good pick for us. Wait and see.  

 

Guess you did not watch the gators or have not tracked on several of their busts under Mullen. 

[colin]

im confused as to why they made the trade for the so few slots move.  im sure there is a reason, i just can't figure it out.

 

based on what is happening here, i think we draft a safety in 2nd or 3rd, and for some reason i think from the big 10.  

 

i keep whining that we have a schematic issue w our d,  and that our stats are sort of better than our play on d (certainly with respect to how we perform in big games vs tough teams), but it's pretty clear our FO values D above all else except QB.  the resources dropped into DL and D overall on this team over the past 3 years, when our D was good to start with kinda shows me how they are running this thing.  i expect us to be more aggressive on D next season, perhaps by a big amount.

[billsfan_34]

8 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

6’1”, likes press coverage

 

How fast is he?

4.39

[Rigotz]

8 hours ago, BillsfaninChicago said:

Are we going to get caught up on the 4th rounder all rest of the off season now?

 

I don’t have to ask do I?

Its incredible how everybody laughs at comp picks, but then complains when we trade away a 4th.

[billsfan_34]

8 hours ago, BillsFan130 said:

Why did they trade a 4th round pick for 2 spots to pick Elam?...

 

I think he definitely would have been there at 25

If the Bills have their draft board showing a player not picked yet that they felt should have been picked earlier then that is probably the logic. I think the Bills really like this kid and most likely felt he would be gone. This is what makes the draft fun- lots of smoke and mirrors 😊

[Rigotz]

8 hours ago, BillsVet said:

 

Those two seasons are over...and bounced out by a team that prioritizes offense.  

Are you referring to KC, who traded their best offensive weapon and used the picks on defense?

 

Just making sure…

[FLFan]

8 hours ago, 78thealltimegreat said:

They weren’t drafting corner they wanted a defensive end or tackle looks like I was correct 

Could it possibly be that the player they wanted was gone?  

[Buffalo_Stampede]

9 minutes ago, colin said:

im confused as to why they made the trade for the so few slots move.  im sure there is a reason, i just can't figure it out.

 

based on what is happening here, i think we draft a safety in 2nd or 3rd, and for some reason i think from the big 10.  

 

i keep whining that we have a schematic issue w our d,  and that our stats are sort of better than our play on d (certainly with respect to how we perform in big games vs tough teams), but it's pretty clear our FO values D above all else except QB.  the resources dropped into DL and D overall on this team over the past 3 years, when our D was good to start with kinda shows me how they are running this thing.  i expect us to be more aggressive on D next season, perhaps by a big amount.

They didn’t want to lose him. In past drafts they waited and lost out on CBs.

I also believe safety is big possibility in the 2nd. 

[nucci]

12 minutes ago, colin said:

im confused as to why they made the trade for the so few slots move.  im sure there is a reason, i just can't figure it out.

 

based on what is happening here, i think we draft a safety in 2nd or 3rd, and for some reason i think from the big 10.  

 

i keep whining that we have a schematic issue w our d,  and that our stats are sort of better than our play on d (certainly with respect to how we perform in big games vs tough teams), but it's pretty clear our FO values D above all else except QB.  the resources dropped into DL and D overall on this team over the past 3 years, when our D was good to start with kinda shows me how they are running this thing.  i expect us to be more aggressive on D next season, perhaps by a big amount.

They were concerned Ravens or Cowboys would take him

[CNYfan]

3 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Not for everyone. I agree most teams view it that way or a version thereof. But the Ravens have paid Chuck Clark, just paid Marcus Williams as a FA but let the board fall to them and took the Best Player Available - a safety. Baltimore are a BPA team. 

 

Nope. I can totally understand what you mean. And before people see that as a big negative Leodis was a very talented player who could just never quite put it all together. His career with McDermott and Frazier might have gone differently. 

Leodis wasn't bright and came from a small school.  Leodis was a nice tackler who struggled learning coverages.

I see a more athletic Levi Wallace.

[BillsFanSD]

Love the pick.  We needed a corner, and the Bills obviously thought Elam was a legit first-rounder.  These guys have a great track record at this position.  If this is the guy they wanted, I'm sold.

 

That said, yes I'm irritated that we traded away draft capital for no reason.  It's fair to note that Beane also has a track record here too.  Not all of those mid-rounders will turn into Milano or Davis, and all of our draft picks aren't going to make our roster anyway.  But trading draft capital away pointlessly -- which is what seems to have happened here -- is something that's fair to criticize.

[YoloinOhio]

4 minutes ago, nucci said:

They were concerned Ravens or Cowboys would take him

You could tell the cowboys were planning to take him. Jerry looked  pissed and then they took the entire 15 minutes to make their pick 

[Mat68]

8 hours ago, Donuts and Doritos said:

Wonder why Elam over Booth? & While the trade isn't that steep, can't help wondering if Elam wouldn't have still been there at 25, given that neither Dallas nor Baltimore took a CB. Seems like Beane might have gotten jumpy & no one could wrestle the phone away from him in time. This is why you can't have coffee, energy drinks etc after noon.

This regime cares about intangibles as much as on the field production.  What is not known from Youtube videos is how these guys interview and what they know about these guys.  My biggest take away was Beane saying Kaiir asked what made White become great.  Also, what himself could work on and what holes the Bills saw in his game.  Your paying multi millions to a 20,21, or 22 year old.  What kind of mind set do they got.  Buffalo feels Elam will work to be the best he can.  In Buffalos eyes its a no brainer.  

[Lane Meyer K12]

The Bills were in dire need of a CB and they got one. Let's see what the kids got! 

[nucci]

2 minutes ago, BillsFanSD said:

Love the pick.  We needed a corner, and the Bills obviously thought Elam was a legit first-rounder.  These guys have a great track record at this position.  If this is the guy they wanted, I'm sold.

 

That said, yes I'm irritated that we traded away draft capital for no reason.  It's fair to note that Beane also has a track record here too.  Not all of those mid-rounders will turn into Milano or Davis, and all of our draft picks aren't going to make our roster anyway.  But trading draft capital away pointlessly -- which is what seems to have happened here -- is something that's fair to criticize.

it wasn't for no reason. He did it to move up 2 spots to get the guy he wanted. A 4th round pick is not that big a deal

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

Draft Grades

CBS 

Quote

Bills (from Ravens via Cardinals): Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida

Grade: B+

He is a good cover player who fills a major need. The Bills had one hole on their team and that was corner. Now they add a long cover player who can give them a nice corner to go with Tre'Davious White. He does need to tackle better. Love the aggression to go get him.

 

FOX

Quote

 Elam offers exciting traits but hasn't always lived up to his prototypical size and NFL bloodlines. Grade: B-

 

[Mat68]

1 minute ago, YoloinOhio said:

You could tell the cowboys were planning to take him. Jerry looked  pissed and then they took the entire 15 minutes to make their pick 

Elams dad played for them.  I think he was on their radar.  Either was a 4th to know for sure?  Why not.  The can easily move the 6th and 5th to get into the 4th if needed.

[YoloinOhio]

We are all very old.

[wjag]

My informal canvas of the pick lovers and pick haters on this board has the pick lovers by a fair margin over the pick haters.  

 

On to round 2.

Edited April 29, 2022 by wjag

[RichRiderBills]

Here are the last great 1st and 2nd round DBs from Florida...

 

CJ Henderson, Keanu Neal, Duke Dawson, Quincy Wilson, Teez Tabor...Vernon Hargreaves, oh and terrible Matt Elam.

 

all busts...

 

 

 

[GunnerBill]

8 minutes ago, CNYfan said:

Leodis wasn't bright and came from a small school.  Leodis was a nice tackler who struggled learning coverages.

I see a more athletic Levi Wallace.

 

I don't see any Levi Wallace there other than they both have good eye discipline. Leodis was a good athlete who sometimes struggled with his transitions, that is the similarity I see. 

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

11 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

They didn’t want to lose him. In past drafts they waited and lost out on CBs.

I also believe safety is big possibility in the 2nd. 

 

heaven forbid THIS team lose out on CBs. I was thrilled when McDuffie got picked, hoping we wouldn't draft one.

 

[Chandler#81]

 

[Dablitzkrieg]

This kid is an excellent pick.   He will start and only get better.   I'm excited

[YoloinOhio]

6 minutes ago, RichRiderBills said:

Here are the last great 1st and 2nd round DBs from Florida...

 

CJ Henderson, Keanu Neal, Duke Dawson, Quincy Wilson, Teez Tabor...Vernon Hargreaves, oh and terrible Matt Elam.

 

all busts...

 

 

 

Helmet scouting?

[Fan in Chicago]

7 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

We are all very old.

Abram Elam is now 40, so yes he was a young dad

Edited April 29, 2022 by Fan in Chicago

[aristocrat]

foootball guy

[Rochesterfan]

4 hours ago, Old Coot said:

Elam should fit in nicely.  He has two relatives who played in the NFL so he knows the score.

 

My only concerns are that he missed three games last season because of a knee injury and that his play was a bit inconsistent.  

 

Why come out after a junior season like that?

 

Ask David Ojabo about that.

 

He worked hard and got himself a 1st round grade and staying in school only opens you up to more scrutiny and injury risk.

 

He was excellent before, but played through an injury that made him more inconsistent - we see that at the NFL level.  That is a positive trait - you speak to it and move forward.

The brass ring was there - he might go a bit higher next year or he get paid starting now and has potential to hit FA at 25 and perhaps get hooked into 2 big pay days before 30.

 

 

 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

6 minutes ago, RichRiderBills said:

Here are the last great 1st and 2nd round DBs from Florida...

 

CJ Henderson, Keanu Neal, Duke Dawson, Quincy Wilson, Teez Tabor...Vernon Hargreaves, oh and terrible Matt Elam.

 

all busts...

 

 

 

interesting. Any reason for that? 
 

by the way, I think joe Haden graduated from Florida.

[streetkings01]

8 hours ago, H2o said:

Tons of this in here 😂

You know how it goes……a couple names that they either heard about for months or some guy they fell in love with based off YouTube highlights……we somebody other than that player and now it’s “WTF are they doing????? They should’ve picked the guy that I love” 

[H2o]

34 minutes ago, RichRiderBills said:

 

Did you watch the gators at all the past 2 years? 

 

Guess you did not watch the gators or have not tracked on several of their busts under Mullen. 

[badassgixxer05]

5 minutes ago, Dablitzkrieg said:

This kid is an excellent pick.   He will start and only get better.   I'm excited

From what i hear he wants to learn. Im sure Tre will take him in under his wing and we will see a ton of growth this year. Excited! Would like to see them still add a Vet for depth as we are still a bit thin. Also can help with some competition.

[streetkings01]

10 minutes ago, RichRiderBills said:

Here are the last great 1st and 2nd round DBs from Florida...

 

CJ Henderson, Keanu Neal, Duke Dawson, Quincy Wilson, Teez Tabor...Vernon Hargreaves, oh and terrible Matt Elam.

 

all busts...

 

 

 

Talent is talent regardless of school. If we go by your logic we should never draft Alabama defensive backs, linebackers or pass rushers.

[Buffalo_Stampede]

10 minutes ago, Joe in Winslow said:

 

heaven forbid THIS team lose out on CBs. I was thrilled when McDuffie got picked, hoping we wouldn't draft one.

 

That’s odd. Plus Booth, Gordon, and Elam were always the talked about CBs for the Bills 

 

They will probably draft another one before the draft is over.

[Hebert19]

Be upset about the pick if you want but when it comes to drafting and signing DBs I will leave that to McDermott.  

 

Dane Jackson 

Tre white

Taron Johnson 

Neal

Levi wallace

Poyer

Hyde 

Etc

 

I'm sure a fair number of people didn't like those picks either but how did that turn out. 

[MrEpsYtown]

Anybody still think they think super highly of Dane Jackson? I kid, I kid. He is good depth and he will push Elam as Beane mentioned in his presser. All that conjecture about the regime not spending on #2 corner and all that jazz was just wrong. All that stuff about not starting a corner and all that was inaccurate. 

 

Elam was my "I would settle for" pick in that other thread. I wanted McDuffie. I thought it was going to be Booth. It makes a lot of sense and I have felt since the jump that there were 4 top corners and the Bills would make sure that they got one of those guys. Where I was mistaken is that I had Booth in that top four rather than Elam. We can argue Booth till we are blue in the face, but he is still on the board and there must be a reason for that. When Beane says Elam was the last first round pick on the board, I believe him and sacrificing that late pick to move up to secure him is the right move. They got a guy in the first round with a first round grade. 

 

I am good with this. I think that he's a good piece of clay for the Bills to mold. The bottom line is that they got a lot better, the level of ability between Elam and Dane/Levi is extremely significant.