As my eDraft Sports Radio co-host Vincent Frank loves to point out, I’m a bit higher on Matt Elam than most.  He’s even gone as far as to call Elam my “man crush” in this year’s draft. 

Having watched every single one of Elam’s games the last two years for the Florida Gators, I felt that I had a great idea of his strengths and weaknesses.  But to make sure my memory wasn’t altered by my fandom, I went back and watch almost four hours of tape.  In the end, my thoughts were confirmed for the most part; some things became a little more clear, but nothing significantly changed. 

With that said, let’s take a look at what I see in this talented former Gators’ safety, in eDraft’s official scouting report. 

 

Strengths

Speed: Elam has top-notch all-around speed.  He flies around the football field, can go sideline-to-sideline incredibly quickly and can close on the ball insanely fast.  He also ran the fastest 40-yard dash (4.54 seconds) of all safeties at this year’s combine. 

Instincts: Elam has better instincts than most defensive backs at his level.  He reads offenses pre-snap incredibly well and is also quite adept at reading a quarterback’s eyes to know where the ball is going to be.  He’s a natural ball hawk and even gets his hands up to knock passes down when his back is turned to the quarterback. 

Power: Probably the very first thing you’ll notice about Elam is the bone-crushing hits he lays on ball carries.  Elam hits are fierce and intended to knock the ball loose. 

Versatility: Elam is one of those special, do-it-all type safeties that hybrid-front defenses really covet.  While he makes his money playing over-the-top zone, Elam is great lined up in the box (whether it’s blitzing, or against the run) and was frequently tasked with covering tight ends and slot receivers. 

Coverage: This is something Elam doesn’t get nearly enough credit for.  Throughout his time at Florida, Elam constantly lined up against the slot receiver, as well as tight ends and running backs.  He showed a good ability to stay with them in man coverage across the middle and in the flat.  Elam is also good in press cover, especially at the line, due to his physical and aggressive play. 

Weaknesses

Size: At 5’10”, Elam is just a bit shorter than you would like an enforcer-type safety to be in the NFL.  He has a solid, strong frame at 208 pounds, but there’s a chance he’s going to have a problem against the NFL’s huge tight ends. 

Tackling: This is easily the biggest knock I have on Elam’s game.  He NEVER tries to use his arms and wrap up ball carriers when tackling.  He’d much prefer to get a head of steam, lower his shoulder and launch off his feet trying to land a ball-loosening hit.  Somethings this works with great success, but it also causes Elam to miss WAY more than any NFL coach wants to see. 

Aggressiveness: This is probably the reason Elam doesn’t get more credit for his coverage ability.  Due to his aggressive nature, even when Elam has gotten a great jump on the ball, he will hang back so he can try to land a big hit, instead of going for the interception.  He also likes to get extremely physical with route runners and is always pushing and shoving through the whistle.  If he can’t tone it down, he’s going to get penalized and/or fined a lot at the next level.   

Bottom Line

Elam may not be the most technically sound safety in this year’s class (that would be Kenny Vaccaro) but he is certainly the most electric to watch. Elam needs to go to a system where he won’t be used as a standard free or strong safety, but rather a system where he can be a roaming jack-of-all-trades, if you will.  A smart coaching staff will utilize all of Elam’s unique skills to get the most impact out of him on the field.  That said, Elam’s shotty technique desperately needs to be addressed and he needs to tone down the aggressiveness if he hopes to reach his full potential.