Brandon Beane's draft-day aggression flashed once again on night one of the NFL Draft, trading a fourth-round pick to move up two spots in the first round to select Florida cornerback Kaiir Elam with the 23rd overall selection.

"We had a good grade on Kaiir," Bills GM Brandon Beane said. "We were down to one player in the first round on our board and so at that point it just made sense ... It just felt like it was within striking distance."

"I was just so grateful," Elam said. "I was just so grateful because once I got to Buffalo and did my visit I just felt something special. I didn't know what it was and I didn't know what it could be, but I just felt something special. I felt like it's an environment where I could come in and try and compete and learn as much as I can and just try and have an immediate impact right away."

Elam played 35 games in his Gators career, grabbing six interceptions with 26 passes defended. He was a first-team All-SEC honoree and Jim Thorpe finalist in 2020.

He stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 191 pounds with an arm length of 30 7/8 inches. Elam also flashed his speed at the NFL Combine in early March, running a 4.39 second 40-yard dash time.

Put it all together and the Bills feel they've got one of the better cornerbacks in this class.

"We think he's got a high ceiling," Beane said. "We just feel he has a lot of things he does well. He's a bigger, longer guy. He's got speed to carry the vertical. Some guys that are running high 4.5s, they're good in the shorter area, but they struggle with the receivers who get downfield. We think he can do that. Press as I mentioned."

One area Elam could work on is tackling, something Beane admitted was addressed with Elam when these two sides met during the pre-draft process.

"Part of it he felt was the way they were asking him to do," Beane explained. "So there's somethings technique-wise we're going to have him work on and clean up."

Elam's exact path to playing immediately remains unknown. Beane said that the hope is that Tre'Davious White will be back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered Thanksgiving night, but there's no certainty to that timeline.

If White is back, the rookie will battle Dane Jackson to start opposite him. And while on paper, it's a first-round pick against a former seventh, the Bills GM is not handing over the job without a fight.

"Kaiir will have to come in and earn it," Beane said. "Dane hasn't missed a challenge yet. So drafting Kaiir doesn't mean he's going to be a starter for the Buffalo Bills."

White is someone Elam's already familiar with, meeting him during his pre-draft visit and tour of One Bills Drive and immediately getting in the All-Pro's ear.

"It was a blessing," Elam said. "He just told me how much he admired my game and loved my game. He said if I had any questions I wanted to know, just hit him up. So I still have his number. I hit him up as soon as he told me that and I tried to pick his brain and learn as much as I can right away."

Elam is expected to be in Orchard Park to be formally introduced Friday afternoon.