Kaiir Elam signs his first NFL contract with the Buffalo Bills
Former Florida Gators cornerback Kaiir Elam has officially signed his first professional contract. Friday, the Buffalo Bills announced they had signed all eight of their draft picks, including Elam.
Elam was the 23rd overall pick in the draft and the Gators’ 54th first-round draft pick since 1967, which ranks second-most among SEC teams and fifth in the NCAA.
According to Spotrac, Kaiir Elam should sign a four-year with the Buffalo Bills worth $13.7 million after his selection. The deal would also include a $7.1 million signing bonus. All first-round picks also have a fifth-year team option on their first contracts. The deal is also fully guaranteed and includes a 2022 cap hit of just $2.4 million.
A three-year letter winner, Elam played in 35 career games with 26 starts. He was a Coaches All-SEC First Team and AP All-SEC selection along with a Jim Thorpe Award Semifinalist in 2020. He totaled 79 tackles with 26 pass breakups and six interceptions. A member of the Coaches All-Freshman team in 2019, he has three pass breakups vs. No. 1 Alabama this past season and only allowed two catches in seven targets against the Tide.
What sold the Bills
The Buffalo Bills couldn’t wait. They traded their first-round pick (25th) and a fourth-round (130th) with the Baltimore Ravens to move up two spots to 23.
Elam’s physical ability is well known but that wasn’t what really won the Bills over. It was their meeting with Elam at the NFL Scouting Combine.
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A video released by the Bills shows a behind the scenes look at that meeting. The cornerback pulled a notebook out and presented it to Bills personnel.
“I brought my notebook, I don’t know if you want to see it, I feel like I take the best notes of anyone in this draft,” Elam said. “Break down what hurt us, what explosive plays we gave up. And I write it down because I know it’s a copycat league. I also breakdown everything I did wrong.”
PFF analayst on Kaiir Elam
Elam’s draft stock rose quickly as the draft neared. Speaking on the Gators Online Podcast, PFF draft expert and analyst Trevor Sikkema spoke about why that was the case.
“I think what everybody is going to love about Kaiir Elam is that he allows you to play the most coveted role of a cornerback, and that is a press, man-coverage corner,” Sikkema said. “Kaiir Elam has that kind of ability, he has that kind of mentality, he has that kind of confidence, and that’s what teams really love about him. He’s got the size, he’s got the athleticism. His 40-yard dash (4.39 seconds) was really great to see at the Combine in Indianapolis because that was a big question mark around him.”
