November 17, 2012; Gainesville FL, USA; Florida Gators defensive back Matt Elam (22) rushes during the second quarter against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Height: 5’10″

Weight: 208 pounds

Position Rank: 2

Drafted By: Baltimore Ravens (1st round, 32nd overall)

40 Yard Dash: 4.54

Bench Press: 17

Vertical Jump: 35.5″

Broad Jump: 118″

2012 Statistics

Career Highlights (via Florida athletics site)

Declared for the 2013 NFL Draft…Appeared in 39 games (26 starts at safety) in his Gator career, recording 176 tackles, 23.5 TFL, 13 pass breakups, six interceptions, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

2012:

Started every game at safety for the Gators during the season…Finished the season second on the team with 76 tackles, including 2.0 sacks and 11.0 TFL…Led the team with four interceptions on the season to rank third in the SEC and had a forced fumble on the season…Was named First Team All-SEC (AP, Coaches), AP All-America First Team…Only the second safety in school history to be named First-team All-American by Associated Press (Reggie Nelson)…Sporting News All-America, SI.com All-America First Team, CBSSports.com All-America First Team and Walter Camp All-America Second Team…Recorded a season-high 11 tackles, including 1.0 sack, In his final collegiate game against Louisville in the Sugar Bowl…Led the team with seven tackles against Florida State, and recorded his fourth interception of the season…Brought down an interception for the second game in a row and returned it a season-long 42 yards to set up the go-ahead touchdown against Missouri…Returned an interception 31 yards against Georgia…Selected a midseason, first-team All-American by Phil Steele, Sports Illustrated, ESPN and CBS Sports…Named the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week after notching seven tackles in the win over LSU and forcing a game-changing fumble in the third quarter and added seven tackles, all solo…Recorded 10 tackles to lead the team and added his first interception of the season against Tennessee.

2011:

One of five Gators to play in and start all 13 games in 2011…Finished the season as the team leader in TFL (11.0), pass breakups (seven) and forced fumbles (two)…Ranked second on the team with 78 tackles…Made six tackles, including two for loss, and a sack in UF’s Gator Bowl win over Ohio State…Forced a fumble and registered eight tackles vs. Florida State…Registered his second-career sack at South Carolina…Had three TFL against Vanderbilt…Recorded an interception at Kentucky and vs. Tennessee…Forced a fumble against UAB…Made his first-career start against FAU, making four tackles.

2010:

One of six true freshmen to play in all 13 games…A starter on kickoff coverage and kickoff returns all season…Recorded 22 tackles on the season, 16 of which were solo, and two TFL…One of the first defensive backs off the bench all season, playing primarily in the nickel spot…Registered three tackles in the home victory over Appalachian State…Tallied three tackles and a pass breakup in the win at Vanderbilt…Registered a quarterback hurry vs. LSU, which led to an interception by Jelani Jenkins…Recorded his first-career sack on the road at Alabama…Registered four tackles in the victory vs. Kentucky…Recorded the team’s only fumble recovery in the win against Tennessee…Collected four tackles, while starting on the punt return squad, kick return squad, kickoff coverage team and field goal coverage team in the season opener against Miami University…Graded as a special mention Champion vs. Miami University.

CAREER DEFENSIVE STATISTICS

Scouting Report/Player Notes

Elam is one of the top young safeties in college football. He has solid size on the back end, and is a very good tackler in addition to being a playmaker on the ball. As a sophomore last season he had 78 tackles and 11 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. He also added seven broken up passes, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles. He’s created a large set of expectations that he has to live up to, and so far, he’s living up to them. As a high school player, Elam was an All-American and the top safety prospect in the country. He does a really good job of working in the box as well as reading the quarterback’s eyes from centerfield. When he decides to leave school for the NFL, whether this year or next, he should be one of the better overall safety prospects available.

Video Highlights (via YouTube)

A day after Florida’s loss to the Louisville Cardinals, a pair of Gators are declaring early for the 2013 NFL Draft. Defensive tackle Shariff Floyd and safety Matt Elam had decided to forgo their junior seasons.

Floyd, 6’3″, 303 pounds is expected to be a first round pick. He 46 tackles, three sacks, and a team-high 13 tackles for a loss for the Gators this year. He also blocked two kicks on special teams for the Gators. He moved to defensive tackle this year, after playing defensive end the previous two years. Floyd was an All-SEC team selection in 2012.

Elam, 5’10″, 202 pounds, was an first team All-American, and posted 76 total tackles (second on the team), for the Gators. He had 11 against Louisville in the Sugar Bowl last night. He also had four interceptions and five pass breakups on the year.

Credit: Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports

having one of the most explosive offenses and defenses in an NFL designed around the promotion of league-wide parity, there are still a couple major needs on both sides of the ball.

On offense, Andre Johnson has rounded into form the second half of the season. But at 31 he is entering an age where receivers typically regress in somewhat dramatic fashion year over year. Even if Johnson still has two or three dominant years left, offensive coordinator Rick Dennison desperately needs a quality No. 2 wide receiver to draw attention away from blanketing Johnson and to a lesser extent, discouraging opposing defenses from adding another defender in the box to stop Arian Foster. Kevin Walter is more suited as a No. 3 or 4 possession receiver. They could also look to bolster the offensive line.

Defensively, Wade Phillips has almost an embarrassment of riches at his disposal. Furthermore, they are extremely young and have been without the services of All-Pro linebacker, Brian Cushing for most of the season. Consider for a moment the ages of Houston’s key defensive players:

• LB Brian Cushing, 25
• DE J.J. Watt, 23
• ROLB Whitney Mercilus, 22
• CB, Johnathon Joseph, 28
• CB, Kareem Jackson, 24
• LOLB, Connor Barwin, 26
• LB, Brooks Reed, 25
• LB, Darryl Sharpton, 24
• S, Glover Quin, 26
• DE, Jared Crick, 23
• CB, Brandon Harris, 22

Admittedly, not every player on this list is currently contributing but its only a matter of time before they have an opportunity. These include talented depth guys who are likely starters on another roster in Jared Crick and Brandon Harris.

With Cushing’s return in 2013 and assuming Watt can maintain at his current level of play, the Texans could still use some help in the secondary, especially at Safety.

1^st round – Matt Elam, S, Florida

Height – 5-10

Weight – 205

What’s most exciting about this redshirt senior is any perceived shortcomings in his game are coachable or will such as taking better angles or learning when to wrap up instead of exploding into ball carriers or would-be receivers.

Blessed with rare athleticism which combined with his aggressive style, will make Elam a fan favorite. He is versatile enough to play either safety position and will instantly upgrade his future employer’s secondary while providing a bit of swagger. He is reminiscent of a mix between Bob Sanders, the pre chronically-injured version, and Ed Reed.

2^nd round – Aaron Dobson, WR, Marshall

Height – 6-2

Weight – 205

Dobson has improved each year despite a lack of an upper echelon quarterback throwing him the ball. Above all else, wide receivers that earn the title of a dependable do so first and foremost with outstanding hands. Throughout his career Dobson has continuously shown a knack for making acrobatic catches look easy and routine catches looking, well, routine. With excellent size and good, not great, speed Dobson will make a living in the NFL as a chain-moving receiver on short to intermediate routes.

He has been described as a humble and hard-working leader. Coaches have raved about the little things he takes pride in such as the effort he gives in blocking downfield for teammates.

3^rd round – Daniel McCullers, DT, Tennessee

Height – 6-7

Weight – 375

One of the bigger prospects in years, McCullers could be a fantastic fit at nose tackle for a 3-4 defense on a team that can afford to groom him for a year or two until he can drop about 20 pounds and acclimate himself to the rigors of an NFL conditioning regimen.

Based on sheer size alone, he should repeatedly accomplish the number one priority on a defense like the Texans use:  clog up the middle of the line demanding constant double-teams .

Other needs for 4^th round and beyond: OT, CB