Since he started playing football, cornerback Kaiir Elam has followed a direct path. His preparation and his training have all been geared toward him playing a defined role as an outside cornerback in the NFL.
His father had a seven-year NFL career. Elam’s high school football coach, Eric Kresser, was the Bengals’ backup quarterback in 1998. Throughout Elam’s football career, they watched Elam develop the technique, the workout regimen and the coverage tendencies that make NFL cornerbacks successful.
Elam is already built like a starting NFL cornerback. He’s 6-foot-2 and has a very specific skill set that’s valuable in the modern NFL.