Kaiir Elam is one of the best cornerbacks in college football. According to Pro Football Focus, he has allowed catches on just four of his 10 targets this season, and we saw firsthand how important he is to Florida’s secondary.
Without him against the Tennessee Volunteers, UF’s depth was strained. Backup Mordecai McDaniel was completely out of position on the 75-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, and that’s a play that Elam likely wouldn’t have given up.
Elam is expected to return this week, and that’s good news for the Gators. It’s also good news for his draft stock, which remains very high after four games. CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson projected that Elam would go ninth overall to the Washington Football Team in his latest 2022 mock draft.
We have no idea what happened to WFT’s defense but it will be hard to pass on a cornerback of Elam’s talents here. He has the size (6-foot-2, 190) and athleticism to be one of the best draft-eligible corners in ’21. He had an up-and-down effort against Alabama over the weekend but he’s a physical playmaking presence in the secondary.
At cornerback, Washington has Kendall Fuller, who has been with the team for six seasons now, and William Jackson III, who it acquired on a big free-agent deal this offseason. Elam could potentially challenge Fuller for the starting spot on the other side.
Elam is still considered the second-best cornerback in the draft behind LSU‘s Derek Stingley Jr., who is projected to go third overall, but with a strong finish to the season, Elam could look to raise his stock above Stingley’s.
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