Throughout the early duration of my evaluation of this year’s cornerback crop in the 2022 draft, it has become apparent that this class has plenty of lengthy cornerbacks who are able to excel in man coverage. This proves particularly important in the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive scheme, which since the acquisition of Minkah Fitzpatrick early in the 2019 season, has relied heavily on a single high centric and man coverage heavy scheme.
Enter Kaiir Elam, a Florida product with NFL bloodlines standing at 6’2” 196 pounds, bursting onto the scene as a Jim Thorpe Award Finalist in 2020, before entering the draft after his junior season in the fall of 2021.