5 Best Fits at Cornerback for the Buffalo Bills in the 2022 NFL Draft
By Aaron Tully
Kaiir Elam
Florida/6’2”/191 lbs/Junior
Picking Kaiir Elam at 25 would be a bit of a reach for Brandon Beane and the Buffalo Bills, but there is a chance that he will be around when they pick again at 57, and there is a whole lot to like about the Florida product.
Elam is the first prospect on this list who is significantly better in one kind of coverage than another. In Elam’s case, he is a much better zone corner than he is in man.
When in zone coverage, Elam’s great size and good ball skills are able to shine and allow him to attack the ball. However, when he is man, Elam tends to get handsy and has had instances of allowing big plays downfield when left alone with a speedy and/or explosive receiver.
Elam is not hopeless when in man coverage, however, as his size allows him to overpower receivers at the line of scrimmage with man coverage and quickly take receivers out of the play.
That type of physicality would certainly impress Sean McDermott, and Elam’s coverage skill set is very much in line with what successful Buffalo Bills corners have been since McDermott took over in 2017.
As far as tackling goes, Elam leaves a lot to be desired as far as consistency goes. He is not as aggressive in tackling as he is when the ball is in the air, making him the first corner on this list to not be a willing tackler. He takes odd angles to the ball which causes problems for him not only in tackling but in man coverage as well. These miscalculations of angles cause Elam to fall a step or two behind his opponent, and are the source of a lot of the inconsistencies in his game as a whole.
Elam is a prospect that the Buffalo Bills could easily fall in love with due to his zone skill set, but they would have to develop the inconsistent aspects of his game in order to get the most out of the early round pick they would have to use to get him. If there is any coaching staff that can accomplish this, it is the one that turned players like Levi Wallace and Dane Jackson into competitive pro corners. If the Bills develop him well, Elam could be an excellent fit in Buffalo.