Where does Kaiir Elam land on the Buffalo Bills roster after being selected in the first round?
It has been a wild first round for the 2022 NFL Draft that has seen a number of trades and the Buffalo Bills joined in on the fun by trading their 25th overall pick, along with a fourth round pick, to move up two spots to select cornerback Kaiir Elam.
The cornerback position was the biggest position of concern for the Buffalo Bills. Their top cornerback Tre’Davious White is working his way back from a torn ACL and they also lost last year’s starter Levi Wallace in free agency, after he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Where does Kaiir Elam fit on the Buffalo Bills’ depth chart?
Starters: Tre’Davious White, Dane Jackson
Reserves: Kaiir Elam, Cam Lewis, Olaijah Griffin, Nick McCloud
When looking at the Buffalo Bills’ depth chart, there is no question that at the top is Tre’Davious White, when he is healthy. The challenge is the team doesn’t know currently when that might be.
The hope is that he is ready to start the season but if he is not, then Dane Jackson is likely the top cornerback on the roster. The former seventh round pick is the most experienced and has two years in the defensive system.
After Jackson would be Kaiir Elam, who would step in as a starter right away in his rookie season, until White is ready to return.
If Tre’Davious White is healthy and ready to start the season, then it creates an interesting training camp battle between Jackson and Elam.
After the top three on the depth chart at outside cornerback would be three undrafted free agents with Cam Lewis, Olaijah Griffin, and Nick McCloud. All three players were with the team last year but have limited experience during the regular season.
The former University of Florida Gator has a great chance to start right away as a rookie, either if Tre’Davious White is not able to start the season or winning the job outright from Dane Jackson.