The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The Green Bay Packers have used their first pick of the NFL Draft on a cornerback four times in the last seven years.
With Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes under contract, the Packers have two lockdown cornerbacks.
Rasul Douglas is a free agent and may have priced himself out of Green Bay with his play this past season. Did Chandon Sullivan show enough to earn another contract? Kevin King is as good as gone. No matter what happens the Packers will likely use a pick or two on the cornerback position in the upcoming draft.
Gutekunst hit a grand slam when he selected Alexander with the 18th pick in the 2018 draft. Last season he hit another home run by selecting Stokes with the 29th overall pick.
Will Gutekunst opt to use another first-round selection on the cornerback position if he’s unable to lock up Douglas? If Green Bay’s general manager opts to go that route he will have no shortage of options in what’s a deep and talented cornerback class.
Kaiir Elam could be a cornerback that Gutekunst targets with the 28th pick. The Florida Gator prospect checks in at No. 85 in the Unpacking Future Packers countdown.
Elam was a 26-game starter for the Gators. Elam started in five games during the 2019 season and picked off two passes and broke up four more.
In 2020, Elam recorded one tackle for loss, two interceptions, and 11 pass deflections. According to Pro Football Focus, Elam allowed just 23 receptions for 326 yards in 2020.
This past season Elam missed three games due to injury. Elam recorded 1.5 tackles for loss, one interception, and five pass deflections. Opposing quarterbacks rarely looked Elam’s way, opting to target the other side of the field. According to PFF, Elam gave up just 18 receptions for 165 yards.
Elam is the definition of a lockdown cornerback. He has great length for the position (6-2). He uses that length to choke passing lanes. That length allows him to smoother wide receivers in coverage. According to PFF, Elam never allowed more than 78 yards in a game during his career.
Kaiir Elam is the definition of a lockdown CB.
Loose lower body. Great length.
If the Packers can't lock up Douglas, would the Packers opt to take a CB again in the first? pic.twitter.com/QPGz6jL30R
— Brennen Rupp (@Brennen_Rupp) January 25, 2022
The 26-game starter does a great job of challenging wide receivers at the line of scrimmage. He’s smooth in his backpedal and his fluid hips to turn and run with wide receivers downfield. Elam has the long speed to stick in the wide receiver’s hip pocket.
“He plays some solid press coverage,” Jeremy Trottier, a contributor for Hail Florida Hail, said. ” He is able to disrupt receivers before and during the peak of the route.”
In zone coverage, Elam shows great route recognition and drives hard-to-breakup passes. He rarely bites on double moves and never gives up the big play.
“He has high-level pre-snap adjustments and instincts and reads the quarterback’s eyes very well,” Trottier said. “He does not react to what’s happening at the time, but rather watches the offensive adjustments and makes moves before the snap to put himself in a good position.”
In terms of ball production, Elam finished his three-year career at Florida with five interceptions and 20 pass deflections. He’s physical at the catch point. He looks natural playing the ball. He doesn’t panic when the ball is in the air and does a good job of playing through the wide receiver’s hands.
“He did play wide receiver in high school at The Benjamin School,” Trottier said. “That background gives him the natural instincts to make plays on the ball and not always the receiver. His athleticism also shows here, as he can get vertical quickly and has the ability to adjust at the catch point and make the play.”
In run support, Elam is willing to stick his nose in, but he doesn’t come to balance and wrap up. Instead, he opts to throw his shoulder into the ball carrier instead of using proper technique and wrapping up.
“While he can make plays in the backfield at times due to his pre-snap reading capabilities, his tackling can use more work,” Trottier said. “He has moments where he can struggle to wrap opponents up, and takes angles on the ball carrier that put him in a position to miss at times. He definitely has the instincts to be a run stopper from the corner spot, he just needs to refine his ability to complete the tackle.”
Fit with the Packers
Elam checks all the boxes of an NFL cornerback. He has the length, speed, and ball skills to be a lockdown cornerback.
“His frame is exactly what you want and need in an outside corner,” Trottier said. “His athleticism is off the charts.”
If the Packers were to draft Elam in the first round it would likely mean a move inside for Alexander.
That’s not necessarily written in stone. If the Packers draft Elam in the first, he has the short-area quickness, instincts, and length to line up in the slot. Elam lined up primarily on the boundary at Florida but did have minimal experience playing in the slot.
By drafting Elam, it would also mean that the Packers would potentially have three lockdown cornerbacks at their disposal. With Elam, Stokes on the boundary, and Alexander playing the “Star” position. Good look throwing on that secondary.
