Matt

Elam

The Colts also had him in for a visit. 27-year-old Elam served a six game suspension in 2017 and has been out of the league since. This is likely due diligence.

Elam has impressed at mandatory minicamp and is fully expected to start as a rookie. “He’s tough, he’s fast, he gets football,” secondary coach Teryl Austin said. “I think he is going to be a fine player for us soon.”

NFL teams are a bit wary of Elam’s size -- he’s 5-foot-9 and change and will be at a severe disadvantage versus 6-foot-5 tight ends -- but his straight-line speed is very good at 208 pounds. Elam covered the slot on passing downs in Florida’s dominant defense and lit up ball carriers when he got a good angle. The forty times help Elam’s chances of being drafted in the first round.

Elam is built low to the ground and has an impressive highlight reel. Tackling efficiency, angle-taking to ball carriers, and coverage consistency are question marks for Elam. He looks like a “late one, early two” at the moment.

Elam lined up at free safety, and was “intercepting passes and barking out defensive signals.” Coach John Harbaugh came away impressed. “Matt really picked things up quickly,” he said. “He really did a nice job of communicating in the back end which isn’t usual for a rookie. ... He was very forceful back there and played fast. He looked good.” Elam will start as a rookie.

The final pick of the first round should start opposite Michael Huff after the Ravens moved on from Ed Reed and Bernard Pollard. Elam (5-foot-9 7/8, 208) made 26 starts for the Gators, logging 23.5 career tackles for loss, six picks and three forced fumbles. He ran a 4.54 40-yard dash at the Combine, and posted a 35.5-inch vertical leap. Elam offers top-notch ball skills, and is a striker in the run game. He garnered pre-draft comparisons to Bob Sanders for his size and physicality. Elam covered slot receivers in Florida’s nickel defense, but will struggle to match up with much taller NFL tight ends.

Elam hasn’t gotten off to a roaring start, but Huff’s been a mini-disaster through two games, particularly in Week 1 against Denver. Huff should still see a decent amount of snaps as the Ravens’ third safety.

They’ve also crowned Gino Gradkowski at center, where he held off A.Q. Shipley. Coach John Harbaugh emphasized that Elam will still see “significant playing time,” despite coming off the bench. Elam can cover the slot in addition to play safety. He’ll likely replace Ihedigbo in obvious passing situations.

Elam played out of position at free safety as a rookie because James Ihedigbo was entrenched as the strong safety and free-agent flop FS Michael Huff was benched after two weeks. Ihedigbo is a free agent, and the Ravens need to find a ball-hawking, centerfield-type safety to pair with Elam. Playing closer to the line of scrimmage should be a plus for Elam’s 2014 IDP outlook.

He has a chip in his knee. No timetable was announced, but coach John Harbaugh said Elam will not open the season on the active roster, meaning he will begin the year on injured reserve. Elam has struggled since being taken in the first round in 2013, but he was earning some praise for his training camp performance this year. Elam is scheduled to be a free agent next spring.