Film Room: Gators CB Kaiir Elam's Impact Plays in the Orange Bowl

Kaiir Elam has the makings of Florida's next elite cornerback, and the freshman displayed his already-proven skill-set on national television during the Orange Bowl.

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Florida Gators cornerback Kaiir Elam had about as good of a season as any freshman cornerback could have, and he ended it with a bang.

The true freshman entered fall camp at Florida a bit underrated, it felt like. Over the late spring and early summer, dramatic news of Florida's top signee in the 2019 class, cornerback Chris Steele, leaving Florida to play closer to home in California at USC, just months after signing the dotted line and moving to Gainesville.

Steele's situation was a mess. He reportedly asked for a roommate change when quarterback Jalon Jones was accused of sexual battery, only to be denied until the summer. While Jones transferred out amidst the allegations, the decision to not move Steele upon request appeared to strike a nerve: He left the program in May.

Steele was considered the No. 5 cornerback in the nation by composite rankings - leaving Elam, the No. 6 and a Florida talent - out of the spotlight that his talent probably deserved. But it was hard to overtake the headlines that Steele, who ranked higher at the same position - was continually making.

But once it came time to take the field in orange and blue, everyone forgot about Chris Steele. Once Kaiir Elam took the field for Florida, he let everyone know who he was and what he could do.

Elam played in eight games for Florida in his freshman season, taking over as a starter against Vanderbilt in November and never looking back. On the stat sheet, Elam's numbers were impressive, tallying two interceptions, four defended passes, and 10 tackles.

However, when you look at in-depth numbers and his tape, you realize he's more than just a guy who can play the ball - which was an obvious strength coming out of high school, given his athleticism paired with extraordinary length at 6-2 with arms that stretch down to his knees. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Elam was targeted 23 times across his 207 coverage snaps. An 11% target rate as a freshman means only one thing: Quarterbacks were afraid of testing Elam off the bat. And even more impressive - when Elam was targeted, he only gave up 10 receptions for 108 yards, and did not allow a touchdown.

Elam allowed a completion percentage in coverage of 43.5%, and a passer rating of 18.3. For reference, a quarterback's passer rating would be 39.6 if he spiked the ball on every snap.

Targeting Elam in 2019 was a worse decision than intending to throw an incomplete pass.

Kaiir Elam is a shut-down cornerback. And while he will be expected to make strides in his game entering year two, his performance in the 2019 Orange Bowl - within a rotation at cornerback as the team was playing without star CB C.J. Henderson - was nothing short of dominant. 

Film Room

We'll start off with Elam's crucial interception with just over five minutes left in the game. Virginia was in scoring position and close to making it a one-possession game, and Elam came up clutch.

Given Elam's length, he's the perfect boundary-style cornerback who can win in press at the line of scrimmage. He doesn't have to give up his man coverage cushion in order to get his hands on the receiver, and using his hands on the rep allowed him to control the receiver through the outside release of his route.

Elam's hand usage - within five yards of the line, making it legal contact - allowed him to keep his body in front of the receiver while gaining depth along the boundary. Quarterback Bryce Perkins let this ball fly through the receiver's release while Elam was completing his jam, giving Elam complete leverage to track the ball (with eyes to the QB) and room to position himself to make a play. 

From there, Elam high-points the ball - again, his elite length is on display paired with a near-35' vertical jump - and comes down with a game-changing turnover.

On an earlier pass breakup, we see much of the same from Elam at the boundary. Once again, Elam utilizes his length to avoid creeping up into his press, which could allow the receiver to take advantage of movement to dictate his route release.

Rather, Elam's well-timed punch slows the receiver down dramatically as he works outside on a boundary fade. This allows Elam to remain hip-to-hip and in-stride with the receiver as he continues to climb the vertical stem. Once the ball begins to close in, Elam once again has the leverage of boundary containing the receiver, and his eyes fixated on the ball. 

The receiver contesting the ball prevents another interception, but Elam stretches out and knocks this ball away from being completed. When it comes to man coverage and working with the boundary, Elam isn't going to get beat often. His physical style of play, build, and technique through his press is polished.

Elam's read-and-reaction skills were on display in the Orange Bowl as well. Elam plays off on first down here, but hesitates to drop back as the lain to gain is practically the endzone. He, and the rest of Florida's defensive backs, are tasked with keeping routes in front of them to prevent a throw to the endzone.

Virginia runs double curls to the top of the screen, and the receivers are expected to quickly catch a pass in their contested zones. Elam remains patient with his eyes on Perkins, while remaining far enough behind the outside receiver to bait Perkins into the throw. 

The second Perkins dedicates his body directly to the curl, the play is over. Elam works inside to cut the route off in case the receiver makes a reception - limiting yards after the catch ability - and throws his body across the throwing lane to knock this pass away.

Not only did Elam make an impressive pass breakup, but he played smart football in limiting room for the receiver to make a play. Mental processing of that nature against quick routes from a freshman cornerback is rare, but Elam is ready to make plays like this. He's not just a big boundary cornerback who can make plays on the ball - Elam has a high football IQ that will keep his flashy play consistent.

There's some dog in Elam's play as well. He isn't passive in his tackling - he wants to make his presence known.

Elam, playing off, gets about 12 yards deep here while the H-back crosses the formation post-snap. As previously stated, Elam has the eye discipline to watch the backfield and maintain his cushion/coverage, and he picks up on the underneath route developing off of the run-pass option. 

Elam is quick to re-direct and, despite lining up over and covering the receiver's outside shoulder, he works inside to prevent the H-back from climbing the seam after the catch. He gets in front of the ball-carrier, and despite a move to get outside with the receiver still blocking from that direction, Elam forcefully dives to make a tackle on his own. 

While his length is a huge part of his success in coverage, long arms will do Elam wonders in run support and tackling to wrap up ball-carriers.

Kaiir Elam's freshman season went as well as it possibly could have. Despite the drama at his position that led to his game becoming a bit underrated, Elam proved on the field in 2019 that he should be a center-piece of Todd Grantham's defense moving forward. 

His traits as a cornerback will garner NFL attention very early on, but Florida fans should hope that Elam elects to play in Gainesville for four years. Elam has the makings of a shut-down, elite SEC cornerback in his game, and he proved that on tape and beyond the box score in 2019.