Photo credit: Michael Reeves, Getty
Kaiir Elam, one of the lynchpins of the Florida defense over the last three years, has announced that he will forgo his senior season. He has officially declared for the NFL Draft.
A very intelligent and agile corner, Elam has been projected to go in the first round by nine of the eleven mock drafts I’ve personally come across so far. For an underclassman to be projected as a first round pick is typically the green light to go ahead and declare, and so he did.
Elam, one of the many Florida signees from South Florida, was pegged to be special from the moment he chose Florida over Miami and Georgia. And he more than lived up to that hype.
He started in the Gator secondary almost the entire 2019 season as a freshman, playing alongside eventual first round selection CJ Henderson and eventually saving Florida against Virginia in the Orange Bowl with a leaping, acrobatic interception near the end zone. Florida’s defense dropped off in spectacular fashion in 2020, but Elam’s coverage skills were among the lone bright spots that year.
Then came 2021. Elam had a little trouble staying healthy, but when he was on the field, he was as elite in coverage as ever. The statistics slowed down considerably for him simply because opponents did not want to run plays at him, but the game tape continued to show a smart, heady player who wouldn’t bite on double moves and showed terrific closing speed when the ball was in the air.
Kaiir Elam concludes his career with the Florida Gators having played in 34 games, picking off five passes, breaking up 20 passes, accumulating 78 tackles, and recovering a fumble.
Best of luck to you in the NFL, Kaiir, and all the future endeavors that may follow.
