After the Baltimore Ravens drafted Florida safety Matt Elam, I voiced my opinion here about how the decision to pick Elam is a bit of a head-scratcher. My thoughts have nothing to do with Elam as a player, but rather who was still on the board when the Ravens picked.
Is Elam a first-round talent? Maybe. In my opinion, he’s a second-round player, but the 32nd overall pick is close enough to the second round so that’s just semantics.
Bottom line is the Ravens drafted a talented player who very well may turn out to be better than the other players, particularly safeties, available at the time.
With Elam officially a Raven, all that can be done is evaluate how he fits in the talented Baltimore defense.
To start off, he automatically becomes the starting strong safety for the Ravens. There’s no debate there. He fills the void that was left when the Ravens released veteran strong safety Bernard Pollard.
Elam is and always has been a strong safety, and that’s the only safety position that he’ll play in the NFL. Newly signed safety Michael Huff takes over at free safety and the Huff/Elam era has begun in Baltimore.
Essentially, Elam is Pollard. Not just the fact that Elam is replacing Pollard, but also the fact that Elam’s playing style is almost identical to Pollard’s.
Coverage wise, the Ravens won’t find much of an improvement with Elam replacing Pollard. Elam, like Pollard, is sub par in coverage and will never be mistaken for a coverage safety. What Elam will be known for is his ability to play in the box and be a physically imposing threat all across the field.
Elam stands at 5’10, 208 pounds, which, of course, is rather small for an NFL safety. He plays bigger than his size when it comes to run support and delivering bone-crushing hits on players several inches taller than him.
Where his height is a glaring weakness is in coverage. Obviously, it’s tough for a player of his size to make plays on the ball when the ball is thrown to a receiver two or three inches taller than him.
Along with that, his instincts in the passing game are lackluster. He often can find himself standing in the middle of the defense for a second too long, and by the time he finally recognizes the pass play, he’s too late to the ball.
That aspect of his game is actually surprising, as his instincts in the run game were as good as any other college safety last season. It’s hard for a player to suddenly latch on to the tendencies of receivers, so that will be a long process that Elam will have to spend time on.
For now, the Ravens would be best served by utilizing his in-the-box capabilities. He often over-pursues the ball carrier, which is common for players who are known for their heavy-hitting mentality.
But with the addition of Huff, who plays well in coverage, as well as the return of cornerback Lardarius Webb, the Ravens can afford, for now, to use Elam mainly in the box and in run support.
Elam has a continuous mean streak and high motor that never stops, which is something teams look for in strong safeties who may struggle in coverage.
He can also be utilized in blitz situations. While he had just one sack for the Florida Gators last season, the Ravens could easily design plays to free him up through the middle of the defense to get after the quarterback.
The jury is still out as to whether or not Elam can develop into a complete safety with above average cover skills, but for now, he will be utilized mainly up front and in the middle of the Baltimore defense, as opposed to the back end, which will likely be Huff’s stomping grounds.
Expectations shouldn’t be too high for Elam in his rookie season, but there’s no questioning his ability to step in and fulfill Pollard’s former role in the Baltimore defense.
