Myles Garrett might be the odds-on favorite to be the No. 1 pick of the NFL draft, but that certainly doesn’t mean the Texas A&M pass rusher is the No. 1 player on the draft boards of all 32 NFL clubs.
For at least one team, that distinction goes to Jamal Adams, according to NFL Network’s Kimberly Jones. Adams, for one, isn’t arguing.
"I feel like I’m the best guy in the draft, I definitely feel like I should be a No. 1 pick," he said Sunday at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Unfortunately for Adams, that team has no shot at landing the star LSU safety and one club official described him as a "wish list" player, per Jones. The team that does land the three-year starter will get a physical presence against the run in the secondary, but according to Adams, much more than that. He tried to dispel the notion that he’s more of a run-stopping safety than an asset in coverage.
"I can play everything in the back end. Coming down in the slot, come down on the tight end and cover. I can fill that A and B gap. Be in the box. I can also play man-free," Adams said Sunday. "I feel I can play everything in the back end. I get classified as a box safety which is not something that I like, but I understand, because I like being around the ball. I (also) like making plays on the ball."
At the combine, Adams ran a 4.56 40-yard dash, repped 225 pounds 18 times on the bench press, and broad jumped 10 feet. He also tied for second among defensive backs in the 20-yard shuttle with a 4.13 clocking. Perhaps it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Adams is somebody’s best available player, given that he’s projected as a top-five pick by four NFL.com analysts. Daniel Jeremiah and Lance Zierlein both project Adams to the Jacksonville Jaguars with the No. 4 pick, and that’s a team with a need at the safety position.
Being at the top of the board for a team selecting too late to draft him doesn’t do Adams much good. For now, he’ll have to hope he’s atop the Cleveland Browns’ board, as well.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @ChaseGoodbread.
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
