Kaiir Elam Eager to Start Working With Bills

Their first-round pick already has established rapport with Tre'Davious White.

Nick Fierro | Apr 29, 2022

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Sometime during his pre-draft visit to the Buffalo Bills' complex, Kaiir Elam realized the Bills' had extreme interest in using their first pick in this year's NFL Draft on him, which they did on Thursday after trading up two places to make sure it would happen.

Happy as Elam was to have his name called by commissioner Goodell, it won't keep him from trying to prove to all the teams that made picks before the Bills did at No. 23 that they were wrong.

"I was just so grateful, man," Elam said in a news conference, "because once I got to Buffalo and did my visit, I just felt something special. I didn't know what it was, I didn't know what it could be, but I just felt something special and felt like it was environment where I can go in and try to compete and learn as much as I can and just try to have an immediate impact right away.

"I think it was just a sign of relief, I would say, because honestly, I strive to be the best, and tonight I wasn't the first defensive player to be selected it, but ... I think it'll bring out another edge to my game."

Top corner Tre'Davious White should help with that. Elam met him during his visit and came away as impressed with White as White apparently was with him.

"He just told me how much he admired my game and he loved my game," Elam said. "And ... he said if I have any any questions or anything, just hit him up. So I still have his number. I hit him up as soon as he told me that and, you know, I tried to pick his brain and learn as much as I can."

RELATED: Bills make Draft move to make sure they get Kaiir Elam

Elam is expected to compete immediately with Dane Jackson to be a starter on the outside opposite White.

That is, unless White is unable to start the season while recovering from a ruptured ACL suffered just five months ago. In that case, the Bills may be counting on Jackson and Elam to start the season, with Taron Johnson locking down the slot in Buffalo's nickel base defense.

To get a head start on the whole process, Elam is hoping to have a basic understanding of the Bills' defense before he arrives for the first time as an actual member of the organization.

"I'm super excited, man," he said. "I'm so excited to go to work. I told them to put the playbook on the plane and I'll try to learn as much as I can right away and just just get better and contribute to the team and have a shot to have an impact right away."

In reality, by the time this team hits the field at St. John Fisher for training camp in July, Elam will be competing against more than just Jackson. The Bills almost certainly will continue to add to this position via the rest of the Draft or free agency or trades or a combination, because they're short of experienced bodies at that spot.

RELATED: Compare SI.com Fan Nation's mock first round with the actual result

After allowing Levi Wallace to depart in free agency, the Bills are looking at a rehabbing White, Jackson and Taron Johnson as the only players among the nine corners on the roster who have started more than three games as pros.

So the gene pool will have to be increased and/or refined as the Bills continue to build their offseason roster back to the offseason limit of 90 players.

In the meantime, here's a look at the entire Bills' cornerback corps heading into the second round of the Draft on Friday night.

Tre'Davious White

A fixture in the Bills' secondary since being drafted in the first round in 2017, White has 16 career interceptions and has been named to two Pro Bowls. He was named an AP first-team All-Pro in 2019.

Dane Jackson

A seventh-round draft pick in 2020, Jackson has 10 career starts, including playoffs.

Taron Johnson

Johnson was a fourth-round pick in 2018 and eventually made the starting slot corner job his. He signed a big contract extension last year. The season before, he returned an interception 101 yards for a touchdown to help the Bills prevail in a tight playoff contest against Baltimore.

Siran Neal

Neal has been a valued reserve for four seasons. He has one career start but contributes heavily on special teams.

Cam Lewis

Lewis played 22% of the defensive snaps as a rookie in 2020 but just 13% last season. His special-teams participation spiked up last season, however.

Tim Harris

Harris has never played in a game with the Bills but has appeared in two games with the San Francisco 49ers and one with the Cleveland Browns.

Nick McCloud

McCloud played two games with the Cincinnati Bengals after failing to make the Bills out of training camp last summer. The Bills re-signed him to their practice squad after he was cut by the Bengals.

Olaijah Griffin

Griffin spent last season on the Bills' practice squad after being signed as an undrafted free agent out of USC.

Kaiir Elam

The Bills' latest first-round draft pick, Elam is expected to compete to start right away.

The Bills came into the Draft with 68 players on their roster.

RELATED: Three years later, we grade the Bills' 2019 Draft

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Nick Fierro is the publisher of Bills Central. Check out the latest Bills news at www.si.com/nfl/bills and follow Fierro on Twitter at @NickFierro. Email to Nicky300@aol.com.

Published Apr 29, 2022

NICK FIERRO