Matt Elam, Junior, Safety, Florida
Overview:
Elam stands to be in consideration for the first safety off the board come April. He will be up against Kenny Vaccaro for that honor. Elam was a bright spot for Florida’s defense in a year where the Gators seem to be back on the rise in the SEC. Elam is a well-rounded safety that can blitz out of the backfield and break up passes as good as anyone in the class. He was second on the team with tackles for loss, which means he has great ability to read the offense as plays develop. He’s only 5’10” so he’s a bit on the small side, but it would be difficult for a team to look over a player with his production.
Final Projection:
A lot of people like Vaccaro over Elam because of his size and ball hawking ability. Elam is not far behind. Safeties are a bit devalued in the first round nowadays and it may be a while before the first one comes off the board. Elam looks to be a second or third rounder at this point.
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