RD 1, Pick 23: CB Kaiir Elam, Florida

[Billl]

17 hours ago, Zerovoltz said:

I would add, that from a Bills and Bills fan perspective...the argument that the Bills had to get to 23 for Elam...I think is correct, and therefore, getting to 23 was a very good move by Beane.  

 

For those of you who think the Bills wasted a 4th to move up 2 spots.....

 

Consider that the Cowboys ended up taking OT Tyler Smith.  CLEARLY the Cowboys made a panic move here.  

They have their CB2 possibly in some serious legal trouble...and at any rate, teams can always use 3 good CB's even if you like your CB2 well enough.  You can not convince me that Tyler Smith was ahead of Elam on anyones draft board.  Project OT/G types do not get ranked ahead of CB1 types.  EVER.

 

The Cowboys, got caught with their pants down.  The run on OG/T types that were much better prospects, that the Cowboys would have been happier with...went earlier than they thought I am sure.  Both Zion Johnson and Kenyon Green (the guy Dallas really wanted) we long gone.  Trevor Penning was gon at 19.  The Cowboys are not averse to seeing their guys go in front of them, but then just taking BPA on their board...thats how they got Parsons last year when Horn and Surtain went right in front of them.  Elam was the guy they were prepared to take.  When Beane moved up and took him...the Cowboys panicked.  They had to take Tyler Smith...he was the last G/T prospect of note available to them, in a year when they had glaring holes in their line.  Smith could have been had later.  

 

Smith was the last non Center O lineman taken until pick 57.  Total panic move. 

 

Living here in the DFW Metroplex...it warms my heart whenever the Cowboys do something to cause the Cowboy fanbase angst....and this certainly has. 

This is the answer.  We know the Chiefs got their preferred guy, we know the Bills got someone they coveted significantly more than the next CB on the board, and we know the Cowboys got got.

 

Buffalo and Kansas City are both excellent at finding and developing DBs.  I didn’t think we had a shot at McDuffie without a trade, and I thought we had about a 50-50 chance of Elam falling to us.  I would have been happy drafting him at 30, and I think both will be excellent players.

[Shaw66]

There's been a lot of talk about the trade up  I thought it was probably a good idea, but I don't know all that Beane may have known/been thinking.  Didn't like giving up the fourth.  

 

As I thought about, and especially after having watched the video of Beane making the decision, I had another thought about that kind of decision.   Essentially, what Beane did was see the right guy sitting on his board who filled the number one need the team had.   Elam would give the Bills two first-round picks at corner for the next four or five years.   He knew he needed to be sure that he got Elam.  Sure.  Not a 60% chance, not an 80% chance, not a 95% chance.   Sure.   So he paid the price to be sure.

 

You know who else made that kind of decision.  The Pegulas.   The story is that when the Pegulas were bidding to buy the Bills, they had an offer in, maybe it was $1 billion.  Mrs. Wilson called for final bids from all bidders.  The Pegulas' consultant recommended a bid of $1.1 million.  The Pegulas asked what the likelihood was that they'd get the team at $1.1, and the consultant said 95%.   They asked what it would cost to get to 100%.  Consultant said $1.2 billion.   Pegulas said. "bid $1.2."   

 

Beane and the Pegulas both said, "We need to be sure."   

 

It's interesting decisiveness.   You have to pay to play, and Beane was willing to pay.

[Shaw66]

1 hour ago, JoeF said:

https://www.buffalobills.com/video/exclusive-behind-the-scenes-look-at-the-2022-buffalo-bills-nfl-draft-war-room

 

Another good video.  He had McD when he pulled out the notebook in Indy.  McD tried to stay straight faced but he was impressed.

Whoa!  I didn't notice that.   Not just McD.  Beane, too.  Elam's talking, and both of them are looking at the notebook in someone's hands (must be DB coach or a scout).  The guy is flipping through the pages, actually reading some of the stuff in the notebook.  You know that McBeane couldn't wait to get Elam out of there so they could ask the coach if the notebook was legit or crap.  

 

Obviously, also, the word is out about what the Bills are looking for.  Elam's agent told Elam to bring the notebook, and he told Elam to be sure to take it out of his backpack in the interview.  Nevertheless, McBeane were very interested. 

 

Quite cool. 

[Don Otreply]

That notebook showed a lot on Elam’s behalf, shows he is willing to look at the things he didn’t get right on top of his success, total process guy.  Any coach has got to appreciate that aspect of a player’s character. 
 

Go Bills!!!

[Doc]

19 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

There's been a lot of talk about the trade up  I thought it was probably a good idea, but I don't know all that Beane may have known/been thinking.  Didn't like giving up the fourth.  

 

As I thought about, and especially after having watched the video of Beane making the decision, I had another thought about that kind of decision.   Essentially, what Beane did was see the right guy sitting on his board who filled the number one need the team had.   Elam would give the Bills two first-round picks at corner for the next four or five years.   He knew he needed to be sure that he got Elam.  Sure.  Not a 60% chance, not an 80% chance, not a 95% chance.   Sure.   So he paid the price to be sure.

 

You know who else made that kind of decision.  The Pegulas.   The story is that when the Pegulas were bidding to buy the Bills, they had an offer in, maybe it was $1 billion.  Mrs. Wilson called for final bids from all bidders.  The Pegulas' consultant recommended a bid of $1.1 million.  The Pegulas asked what the likelihood was that they'd get the team at $1.1, and the consultant said 95%.   They asked what it would cost to get to 100%.  Consultant said $1.2 billion.   Pegulas said. "bid $1.2."   

 

Beane and the Pegulas both said, "We need to be sure."   

 

It's interesting decisiveness.   You have to pay to play, and Beane was willing to pay.

 

That's funny.  I thought the same thing (i.e. about Pegula being sure he got the team) the other day.

 

And no one likes to pay more than they have to.  Do you think the Ravens liked having to use the 4th rounder they got from the Bills on a punter?  Nope, but to be sure they got the guy they wanted, they spent more than they wanted to.

[Buffalo716]

19 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

Whoa!  I didn't notice that.   Not just McD.  Beane, too.  Elam's talking, and both of them are looking at the notebook in someone's hands (must be DB coach or a scout).  The guy is flipping through the pages, actually reading some of the stuff in the notebook.  You know that McBeane couldn't wait to get Elam out of there so they could ask the coach if the notebook was legit or crap.  

 

Obviously, also, the word is out about what the Bills are looking for.  Elam's agent told Elam to bring the notebook, and he told Elam to be sure to take it out of his backpack in the interview.  Nevertheless, McBeane were very interested. 

 

Quite cool. 

The fact we drafted him makes me feel it was legitimate,not a random empty notebook 

 

He seems like a driven individual, and a quick study of a player 

 

He also seemed very curious to pick tre's brain and what makes him great 

 

We have our own "no fly zone" in Tre , poyer ,Hyde, Johnson and Elam

[John from Riverside]

28 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

Whoa!  I didn't notice that.   Not just McD.  Beane, too.  Elam's talking, and both of them are looking at the notebook in someone's hands (must be DB coach or a scout).  The guy is flipping through the pages, actually reading some of the stuff in the notebook.  You know that McBeane couldn't wait to get Elam out of there so they could ask the coach if the notebook was legit or crap.  

 

Obviously, also, the word is out about what the Bills are looking for.  Elam's agent told Elam to bring the notebook, and he told Elam to be sure to take it out of his backpack in the interview.  Nevertheless, McBeane were very interested. 

 

Quite cool. 

Everything about this kid screams winner to me.  He needs to not be so grabby at the next level but all the tools AND THE MINDSET are there.....

 

He was doing homework on the plane ride?

[RyanC883]

3 minutes ago, John from Riverside said:

Everything about this kid screams winner to me.  He needs to not be so grabby at the next level but all the tools AND THE MINDSET are there.....

 

He was doing homework on the plane ride?

 

Agreed. I like that he is too grabby.  Rather dial a player back than the other way around.  

[Warcodered]

16 minutes ago, John from Riverside said:

Everything about this kid screams winner to me.  He needs to not be so grabby at the next level but all the tools AND THE MINDSET are there.....

 

He was doing homework on the plane ride?

Wasn't on the plane, sounded like they told him to relax and enjoy the moment, it'll still be there when all the craziness subsides.

Edited May 1, 2022 by Warcodered

[Doc]

He had the Bills' playbook for the plane ride home.

[JerseyBills]

3 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

Whoa!  I didn't notice that.   Not just McD.  Beane, too.  Elam's talking, and both of them are looking at the notebook in someone's hands (must be DB coach or a scout).  The guy is flipping through the pages, actually reading some of the stuff in the notebook.  You know that McBeane couldn't wait to get Elam out of there so they could ask the coach if the notebook was legit or crap.  

 

Obviously, also, the word is out about what the Bills are looking for.  Elam's agent told Elam to bring the notebook, and he told Elam to be sure to take it out of his backpack in the interview.  Nevertheless, McBeane were very interested. 

 

Quite cool. 

Also just his swagger , body language and confidence. We're drafting guys that love the game

[Bob in STL]

On 4/30/2022 at 6:50 AM, Sierra Foothills said:

 

That raises a good question

• Butch Byrd-Booker Edgerson
• Robert James-Tony Greene (before he switched to safety)
• Mario Clark-Charles Romes
• Antoine Winfield-Nate Clements

Seems like I'm missing one more pair.

 

 

I would add Nate Odomes and who-ever else we played with at the time (Kirby Jackson or Thomas Smith), to the list of top pairs.      Odomes was good enough to be in the conversation.   

 

I think the best tandem, when normalized for the time period, was Byrd and Edgerson.  Why?   Byrd is on the Second team All Time AFL team.  Edgerson was also an all star and he shut down HOF receiver Lance Allworth, twice in Championship game victories for Buffalo.  
 

That said the game has changed a lot. The old time CBs could play bump and run, this allowed  contact until the ball was thrown.  Robert James buried many receivers at or near the line of scrimmage, forcing the QB to look elsewhere.  Today CB is really hard to play well.  WRs are the elite athletes of game and the rules favor their success.  

Edited May 1, 2022 by Bob in STL

[JGMcD2]

3 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

Obviously, also, the word is out about what the Bills are looking for.  Elam's agent told Elam to bring the notebook, and he told Elam to be sure to take it out of his backpack in the interview.  Nevertheless, McBeane were very interested. 

Actually, what’s even more impressive about all of this, is that Elam does not have an agent. 
 

He represents himself with help of his father and uncle who both played in the league. 
 

He isn't employing an agent, rather, Elam is representing himself in the draft process with help from his father Abram and uncle Matt, both former NFL players and the latter an All-American defensive back at Florida, as well as advisors, financial planners and a lawyer.

[RunTheBall]

I can’t believe all the bellyaching over a 4th round pick to secure a guy Beane clearly wanted. It’s getting to the point of ridiculousness. Some people just can’t help but find something negative about every situation.

 

As for the notebook, it never entered my mind that it would be anything other than authentic. It doesn’t take long listening to Elam to understand he’s an intelligent guy and student of the game. You’d have to be on another level of stupid to think you could bring a BS notebook to NFL coaches and professional scouts.

[Shaw66]

54 minutes ago, JGMcD2 said:

Actually, what’s even more impressive about all of this, is that Elam does not have an agent. 
 

He represents himself with help of his father and uncle who both played in the league. 
 

He isn't employing an agent, rather, Elam is representing himself in the draft process with help from his father Abram and uncle Matt, both former NFL players and the latter an All-American defensive back at Florida, as well as advisors, financial planners and a lawyer.

Wow!   I didn't know that.   I'm not sure that's a smart thing for him, but it bodes well for him.  That means his father and uncle together had the good sense to research teams and get the son/nephew prepared for the combine interviews.  I like him even more.  

 

Over and over again, it seems that Beane and McDermott are good, very good, at finding guys who already have lived the kind of work ethic that they value.   Cook seems to be that guy, and Bernard and Shakir, too.  Even the later guys - they're all focused, motivated people.  They are people who want to be on a team full of those guys, and they want to be coached that way, too.  And they have a quarterback and wideout and two safeties and edge who are great talents and live that way.  The result is a team that can do complicated things, more complicated than most teams because each delivers his best all the time.   You can see how powerful it is - it's the vision that drives McDermott.  

Edited May 2, 2022 by Shaw66

[SCBills]

One of my best friends is a huge Gator fan.
 

He’s always pretty honest about guys from there and Kaiir Elam is one of his favorite players since Tebow. 

[BillsFanForever19]

 

[atlbillsfan1975]

14 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

Whoa!  I didn't notice that.   Not just McD.  Beane, too.  Elam's talking, and both of them are looking at the notebook in someone's hands (must be DB coach or a scout).  The guy is flipping through the pages, actually reading some of the stuff in the notebook.  You know that McBeane couldn't wait to get Elam out of there so they could ask the coach if the notebook was legit or crap.  

 

Obviously, also, the word is out about what the Bills are looking for.  Elam's agent told Elam to bring the notebook, and he told Elam to be sure to take it out of his backpack in the interview.  Nevertheless, McBeane were very interested. 

 

Quite cool. 

You are probably right about the agent, but it goes back farther than that. This is when having a father and uncle who played in the league is a benefit. I’m sure Kaiir’s father taught him about self-improvement and how to go about it as a DB. The agent or someone surely told him to share this tool he uses with pro-personnel during the pre-draft process. Either way it is exactly the type of player and person McD and we want on our team. 

[GunnerBill]

13 hours ago, JerseyBills said:

Also just his swagger , body language and confidence. We're drafting guys that love the game

 

I enjoyed his suit game

[Mat68]

2 hours ago, atlbillsfan1975 said:

You are probably right about the agent, but it goes back farther than that. This is when having a father and uncle who played in the league is a benefit. I’m sure Kaiir’s father taught him about self-improvement and how to go about it as a DB. The agent or someone surely told him to share this tool he uses with pro-personnel during the pre-draft process. Either way it is exactly the type of player and person McD and we want on our team. 

Elam does not have an agent.  In any profession these are the things others would call corny. That stuff is the difference in being successful or average.  With his god given ability Elam could still be an average player but the notebook and work ethic are what can make him be great.