Kaiir Elam ‘19 was a three-sport varsity athlete during his time at
Benjamin, starring on the track and basketball teams. However, his niche was football, as he lined up on both sides of the ball, playing wide receiver and cornerback, for the Bucs.

His stellar play on Theofilos Field led to him becoming a consensus
four-star recruit and a top 60 senior across the country for those in the
Class of 2019. He had garnered offers from the University of Georgia, the
University of Notre Dame, The Ohio State University, and more, but ultimately, on Feb. 6, 2019, Elam committed to the University of Florida to stay in Sunshine State.

Just three years later and after three amazing seasons at UF, Elam finds himself preparing for the NFL Draft as one of the top cornerbacks set to be selected on April 28.

Elam is considered to be a mid-late 1st or early-mid 2nd round pick in late April. He brings the size that teams are looking for in an elite cornerback, standing at 6’2”. Combine that with his 4.39 40 yard dash time from the NFL Combine, and the physical tools are there for Elam to
become a star in the league.

Teams would love to find the next lockdown press corner like Los Angeles Rams superstar Jalen Ramsey, but that type of player is extremely difficult to come across. Elam is built like Ramsey physically, but scouts
have some criticisms of Elam that could hold him back from becoming as elite as Ramsey. Concerns about Elam being too physical when pressing and causing penalties have worried organizations, along with his lackluster tackling.

As the NFL Draft approaches, it’s no surprise that fans across the country are wondering who their team will draft and where certain prospects will
end up. The Benjamin alum will find himself as a prospect that many teams want to get their hands on, but that begs the question: what landing spots make the most sense for Elam if he finds himself picked on Day 1 of the draft?

#19: Philadelphia Eagles

After making a shocking playoff push, the Eagles are looking to round out their roster with three top 20 picks. The Eagles cornerback room doesn’t have much depth currently, and adding Elam to a defense that already was borderline top 10 in passing yards allowed could help elevate the Eagles secondary to an elite one. Darius Slay is already one of the league’s top cornerbacks, and adding a developing Elam to the opposite side of the field would be a scary sight for NFL offenses.

#21: New England Patriots

The Patriots rebuild was a short one, making the playoffs just two years after Tom Brady’s departure from Tampa Bay. Following a crushing defeat in the Wild Card Round at the hands of the rival Buffalo Bills, the Patriots are looking to continue to load up their roster. Star cornerback JC Jackson just left to sign a massive deal with the Los Angeles Chargers, so the Patriots could seek immediate and long-term help in the secondary after just having the second best defense in terms of passing yards allowed in the league. Elam would also have the luxury of being coached by arguably the greatest defensive mind of all-time, Bill Belichick.

#30: Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs are set to be perennial contenders with Patrick Mahomes and company at the helm. All the front office has to do is guarantee
that talent is around Mahomes and the team. One of the biggest struggles for the Chiefs this past year was their secondary, and with that group already being poor and adding the fact that Charvarius Ward departed, the Chiefs seem prone to look at cornerbacks. Elam could provide the team with a lockdown corner for the future that a team with such high aspirations for the next decade would love to have.

#31: Cincinnati Bengals

Perhaps the best story of the past NFL season, the Bengals, led by the
beloved star quarterback Joe Burrow, proved that they are an elite team in this league. Now, the front office must patch up the holes in the roster to guarantee that this team remains a Super Bowl contender. Adding Elam to one of the league’s worst secondaries could be one way to do this. He can make an impact on day one and
for the future for a team that will look to contend for as long as Burrow is running the show.