Getty Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (L) reacts on Twitter to the team's first-round 2022 NFL Draft pick, cornerback Kaiir Elam (R).
The Buffalo Bills selected cornerback Kaiir Elam with their first-round pick of the 2022 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 28. In order to snag the Gators’ alum at No. 23, Bills general manager Brandon Beane traded up, exchanging their No. 25 and 130th picks to the Baltimore Ravens.
Elam ran a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine and throughout his tenure in Gainesville, recorded 78 total tackles, 26 pass breakups, and six interceptions.
After watching two of the top four cornerbacks get selected in the first four picks and the Kansas City Chiefs trading up to land corner Trunt McDufffie at No. 21, Beane knew he had to make a move for Elam.
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Welcome home, @KaiirElam5! 😍
“We had had good grade on Kaiir, and we were down to one player in the first round on our board, and so at that point, it just made sense,” Beane said. “We’re not sure what those teams ahead of us would have taken, but there was a lot of trade action going on too. It just felt like it was within striking distance.”
“Obviously, I’ve been hearing it loud and clear that we don’t have a corner from every single one of you,” Beane joked. “Neighbors, kids, everyone, so we’ll all sleep good tonight that we got a corner.”
Traded up and got our guy. 👊
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Elam appeared equally as thrilled to be a part of Bills Mafia, and the first tweet he sent out after getting drafted caught the attention of Buffalo’s superstar quarterback Josh Allen.
The 20-year-old tweeted, “Forever Grateful @BuffaloBills… Prayed, Manifested & Sacrificed For This. Super Happy But Not Satisfied. More Work To Be Done! #LND #BillsMafia,” which earned a rare like from the Bills’ quarterback.
Forever Grateful @BuffaloBills …Prayed, Manifested & Sacrificed For This. Super Happy But Not Satisfied. More Work To Be Done! #LND #BillsMafia
Allen wasn’t the only team captain to like Elam’s message, wide receiver Stefon Diggs liked Elam’s tweet and retweeted it on his feed.
Got ourselves a gator. 👊
Elam sent a video message to Bills Mafia after getting drafted. “I’m super happy right now man but I won’t be satisfied until we get the Super Bowl. Come on, let’s go.”
Video of Elam’s Reaction to Being Drafted By the Bills Went Viral
Kaiir Elam’s reaction after getting picked 23rd overall by the @BuffaloBills. @BenjaminBucsFB @kaiirelam5 @WPBF25News
Video of the moment Elam found out he was the Bills’ No. 23 overall pick quickly went viral on Twitter, as viewers could see the genuine emotion he felt to be joining the franchise.
In a Zoom interview with the media after his selection, Elam said he had a feeling he might end up in a Bills jersey. “Once I got to buffalo and id my visit, I just felt something special,” Elam said.
“I feel like it was an environment I could go in and try to compete and learn as much as I can and try to have an immediate impact right away. It’s just a sign of relief because I honestly strive to be the best. Tonight, I wasn’t the first defensive player selected, but I think it’s fuel to the fire and will bring out another edge to my game.”
Kaiir Elam already gets the culture. Ends his introductory Zoom press conference with a “Go Bills!”
Elam already sounds like he has the perfect mindset to be a part of the Bills roster, and Beane has no doubt.
“We really felt like he’s going to be a great fit in our defense,” Beane said. “He’s got some versatility in the sense that he can play off, he can play press, he gives us a little size, a little length. He’s got speed if we’re in press-man, anything like that. So, I think it’ll give (defensive coordinator) Leslie (Frazier) more options with what he can do with him.”
Beane Said Elam Will Have to Earn His Role
Our defense just got tougher. 😤
Elam said that one of the biggest draws to possibly joining the Bills was to learn and study with their No. 1 cornerback, Tre’Davious White, whom he got to speak with during his team visit.
“He just told me how much he watched my game and how he liked the way I played,” said Elam. “I just tried to pick his brain and tried to learn as much as I could from him in the short amount of time we had. I’m super happy I got to meet him because he seemed like a super laid-back guy, super knowledgeable, and a guy who I feel like I could just go and try to learn from.”
While the hype surrounding Elam is sky-high, Beane made it clear the young man will not simply be handed a starting role:
Kaiir will have to come in and earn it. We still expect Tre’ to be ready to roll here, hopefully at the beginning of the season. We’ll see. Dane (Jackson) hasn’t missed a challenge yet, so drafting Kaiir doesn’t mean he’s going to be a starter for the Buffalo Bills.
But it adds another guy, adds some size and length outside as I said earlier, and he’ll have to come in here as a rookie. We’re not the team that just throws rookies out there. I’m a big Dane Jackson fan and I don’t see him just relenting his chance to start just because we drafted someone in the first round.
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