Philadelphia Eagles: 3 more cornerbacks worth a first round grade

If Andrew Booth is a pro-ready cornerback who does a little bit of everything well, Florida’s Kaiir Elam is a bit of a project, but one potentially worth pursuing for a team looking for a long, lanky press-man cornerback.

Standing an imposing 6-foot-2, 196 pounds, Elam is the sort of tall, long cornerback Florida has become known for over the past half-decade and will surely draw a ton of attention over the next few weeks as a result. He has long arms, solid body control, and a knack for finding the ball in the air, as his five career interceptions and 20 passes defensed clearly showcase. Factor in a surprisingly strong 4.39 40-yard dash, and teams who regrettably missed out on Sauce Gardner will surely look to Elam as the next best thing, especially since he has three years of SEC play on his resume.

But then you look at the penalties, and you quickly see why Elam is considered a tier below the top-3 cornerbacks in this year’s class.

You see, Elam is a very handsy cornerback. He was flagged seven times during the 2021 season alone and will most certainly have to adjust his game when he starts playing on Sundays, as the NFL is much stricter on pass interference than the college game. While that won’t keep interested parties away, as there aren’t many 6-foot-2 cornerbacks who run a 4.39 40 and have press experience in the professional football pipeline, some have questioned if Elam will be ready to take the field right away, which could prove too risky for a Philadelphia Eagles squad that would prefer immediate contributors over medium-term projects, especially in the first round.

Still, if Jonathan Gannon signs off on him, don’t be surprised to see Kaiir Elam in midnight green this fall and to be just as frequently dazzled by his athleticism as you are frustrated by his penalties.