Junior Kaiir Elam is one of the top cornerbacks in all of college football and is expected to be a first-round draft pick in the upcoming 2022 NFL draft. With two games left in the college football season, ESPN’s Jordan Reid released his early projections for Round 1 and has the Philadelphia Eagles taking Elam eleventh overall.
Reid has Elam as the second corner coming off the board behind LSU‘s Derek Stingely Jr., who he has the New York Jets drafting third overall. The Eagles have the sixth overall pick, but Reid has them taking Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton before Elam.
After taking safety Kyle Hamilton with their first Round 1 pick, the Eagles could continue to remake their secondary here. Thanks to extra picks from the Dolphins and 49ers, they have a chance to take the top safety and corner in this class. Elam, who has six career interceptions, would give Philadelphia an option to pair alongside Darius Slay in 2022.
It may be wise for Philadelphia to load up on young defensive backs in the draft considering the heavier end of Slay’s restructured extension kicks in next year. Elam and Hamilton would be learning from one of the league’s best and there’s potential to fill a big hole on the team rather quickly.
Elam has six interceptions and 26 pass deflections over three seasons with Florida. Those numbers could be higher if quarterbacks challenged him more, but throwing the other way is often easier. Elam also missed three games with a knee sprain this season.
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