Matt Elam, SS, Florida Gators: 2013 NFL Draft Player Profile
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
| G | Int. | Yards | TD | Int./G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 4 | 73 | 0 | 0.31 |
| G | Solo | Assisted | Total | Total/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 58 | 18 | 76 | 5.85 |
| G | TFL | TFL Yards | TFL/G |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 11.0 | 37 | 0.85 |
| G | Sacks | Sack Yards | Sacks/G |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 2.0 | 12 | 0.15 |
| G | Passes Broken Up | QB Hurries | Fumbles Forced | Kicks/Punts Blocked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
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
| Year | UT-AT | TT | TFL | QBS | FF | FR | PD | INT |
| 2010 | 16-6 | 22 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2011 | 50-28 | 78 | 11.0 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
| 2012 | 58-18 | 68 | 11.0 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
| Totals: | 124-52 | 168 | 23.5 | 5.0 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 6 |
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)