WATCH: Kaiir Elam breaks down, drops phone on call with Buffalo Bills
Before Kaiir Elam can tell the Buffalo Bills where he is, the tears of joy start pouring.
Elam tilts his hat down and wips his eyes, with his mother, father and a room full of supporters by his side.
“I’m in Palm Beach right now,” Elam tells the Bills over the phone from his draft party Thursday.
He says “yeah” twice as his emotions start to build. Whatever Buffalo tells Elam next causes him to break down.
He leans back on the couch, says “aye” and then gasps as his head drops back in his lap.
“Yeah,” Elam struggles to respond. A woman behind him shouts, “Jesus! Jesus!”
Elam leans back again and says, “thank you, coach”, causing the room to erupt.
Elam’s mother and father, former NFL safety Abram Elam, both embrace their son as he gets his dream call.
Florida’s star cornerback can’t even stay on the phone, dropping it in his lap as he tears up.
His father reaches over, grabs the phone and starts speaking on behalf of Elam, whose head is buried all the way in his hat by this point.
He’s just been selected 23rd overall in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft by Buffalo. Watch the awesome moment below with Elam, his parents and supporters.
PFF analayst on Kaiir Elam
Pro Football Focus analyst and host Trevor Sikkema joined the Gators Online Podcast on Thursday to preview the 2022 NFL Draft and Florida’s prospects in this year’s class.
Here’s why the Bills and other teams were high on Elam, according to Sikkema:
“I think what everybody is going to love about Kaiir Elam is that he allows you to play the most coveted role of a cornerback, and that is a press, man-coverage corner,” Sikkema said. “Kaiir Elam has that kind of ability, he has that kind of mentality, he has that kind of confidence, and that’s what teams really love about him. He’s got the size, he’s got the athleticism. His 40-yard dash (4.39 seconds) was really great to see at the Combine in Indianapolis because that was a big question mark around him.”
![Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier celebrates with Florida Gators wide receiver Aidan Mizell (11) after a touchdown during the first half at the Orange and Blue spring football game at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, April 13, 2024. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]](https://on3static.com/cdn-cgi/image/height=215,width=393,quality=90,fit=cover,gravity=0.5x0.5/uploads/dev/assets/cms/2024/04/13155133/Untitled-design-65-2.png)