IDP 20/20: Jamal Adams

1.) Name – Jamal Adams

2.) College – Louisiana State University

3.) Height/Weight – 6-foot-1, 213-pounds

4.) Birth Date – October 17, 1995 (21 years old)

5.) Class – Junior (Started two games as a true freshman and 26 of the 37 games he played overall.)

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6.) College Stats – 209 total tackles, with 128 solos, 18 TFLs, two sacks, five interceptions, two fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles, and 14 passes defended, in three seasons of play.

7.) NFL Draft Round Projection – Round one. He is spotted in the top five of an overwhelming number of mock drafts around the industry, with Jacksonville as the most popular landing spot.

8.) Current NFL comp – Landon Collins 

While Collins was a bigger player at Alabama (228-pounds), he and Jamal Adams bear a resemblance on field. Landon Collins was a bit more physical and a surer tackler. Adams seems more comfortable in coverage, and should time quicker at the Combine.

Prior to being drafted, many doubted Collins’ ability as a cover safety. He silenced the critics by pulling down five interceptions (the third highest total in the league) and defending 13 passes in 2016. The Giants’ star was also in the running for the NFL’s “Defensive Player Of The Year Award” in just his second professional season.

Both players struggled with their aggression occasionally taking them out of plays. Yet, if this is the worst flaw you can find in a safety, he’s in pretty good shape. Collins has proven indispensable to the Giants’ defense, playing 94.4% of their snaps as a rookie, and an outrageous 99.5% in 2016. You can expect Jamal Adams to be equally vital to his eventual team.  

9.) Best possible destination – L.A. Chargers

While the Chargers move their franchise up the freeway, they need help making their defense more of a toll road and forcing opponents to pay. With the seventh pick in round one, they’re also going to need a little luck for Jamal Adams to slide within their reach. But the pairing is ideal.

The Bolts front seven received a major shot in the arm with the addition of Joey Bosa, who contributed 10.5 sacks as a rookie. Melvin Ingram, the team’s other edge rusher of note, is evolving into a complete linebacker, as evidenced by his 18.5 sacks and 11 passes defended over the last two seasons. The team slapped the franchise tag on Ingram to buy the sides time to work out a new contract. Middle linebackers Jatavis Brown and Denzel Perryman led the club in tackles, despite playing just 12 games each in 2016.

Free agent signee Casey Hayward led the NFL in interceptions in his first season with the Chargers. Heyward’s addition could have cemented the cornerback group, if not for the season ending losses of both Jason Verrett and Brandon Flowers. Once reunited, this trio gives the team a competent set of pass defenders at corner. There is still work to be done on the backend, however.

Jahleel Addae was PFF’s 13th ranked safety, despite his shortcomings in coverage and reckless tackling efforts. Addae will enter free agency and may or may not be in the team’s plans moving forward. The Chargers starting free safety was Dwight Lowery, who not only survived 16 starts, but also led their defense in snaps. His play, however, was as pedestrian as it comes.

Gus Bradley is taking over the reigns at defensive coordinator. San Dieg…rather, Los Angeles needs to rebuild the backend of their secondary with more competent safeties, who can challenge the top tier receiving duos they’ll face in the AFC West, and capitalize on the mistakes forced by their increasingly aggressive front seven. Jamal Adams fits this bill.

10.) Worst possible destination – With a true safety, this question is difficult to answer. Every team needs good cover safeties who can help out in run support. The worse the team is up front, the better that safety’s odds of compiling a large number of tackles becomes. Scheme is almost irrelevant. Adams will find a role for his eventual team, and excel at it. It would take a strange turn of events for him not to start a majority of his team’s games in year one.

The Patriots and Cardinals have been known to sit rookies who don’t conform to their high standards (just ask Dominique Easley and Robert Nkemdiche). This shouldn’t be an issue for Adams, whose character appears to be one of his strongest traits. Even the Seahawks and Packers, with their All-Pro safety duo’s, could find an IDP-worthy role for Jamal Adams in their secondary. This kid is primed for success.

11.) Best current skill – Attacking the line of scrimmage / anticipation

Whether against screens or outside runs, Adams attacks plays at the line of scrimmage. His anticipation and short area speed help to make this possible. He’s always in tune to the game.

In the following play, you’ll see LSU blitz their slot defender, with the intention of Adams picking up the slot receiver. Meanwhile, Alabama’s O.J. Howard comes in motion and runs a flat route to Adams’ side of the field. With two defenders bearing down on him, Alabama’s Jalen Hurts throws hot to Howard. The instant Adams sees the QB commit, he abandons the slot, and drives on the tight end, blowing Howard up before the ball gets anywhere near him.

This presence of mind, to see the play developing and get out to cover the tight end, is what we should expect from every safety. Yet, the truly impressive part of the play is the way Adams’ understood he had a “double-green light” to lay Howard out.

The fact Howard ran his route within five yards of the line of scrimmage eliminates the chance of pass interference being called, as does the pass getting tipped. Too many defenders miss out on these opportunities to take a free shot on a receiver and knock him out of the play, possibly forcing a turnover in the process. And had this ball not been tipped, Adams may have gone the other way for an LSU touchdown.

12.) Skill that needs to be improved – Open field tackling

Folks get upset when you point out the flaws of a player they perceive as flawless. Therefore, I’d like to offer my sincerest apologies before we get started… Ok, good. Here we go.

It wouldn’t be accurate to say Adams plays with reckless abandon, but he’s not hesitant to stick his nose into a tackle. He gets in trouble when he leaves his feet and tries to dive for a runner. Understanding that he’s trying to save a few yards, Adams’ effort is commendable. Yet, the end result is a play that can wind up going for even more yardage than if he would have stood his ground and attempted to make the stop “head up”. Jamal Adams is not a bad tackler, but at times he makes bad tackling decisions. It’s nothing that can’t be coached out of him, however.

13.) Projected dynasty value – Adams is a good enough cover safety to avoid being typecast in the “hybrid” role. He’s equally capable of playing in space, and functioning near the line of scrimmage. Adams should contribute in run support and generate solid tackling numbers. He didn’t force a great deal of turnovers at LSU, but his knack for being around the ball and seeing plays develop should lead him to his fair share in the NFL.

If Adams isn’t the top safety in the minds of most dynasty owners, he’ll be one of the top three. His draft day price should be on par with many of your draft’s top rookie linebackers, (depending on your scoring system.) We covered some of the recent, top safeties to enter the league and their contributions as rookies in our Jabrill Peppers 20/20 article.

Adams is better suited to seeing immediate playing time in the NFL than Jabrill Peppers is. Dynasty owners should expect him to start early in his first season, and finish among the top 36 defensive backs, at a minimum.

14.) Permanent Captain = Leadership – Adams was named the Fighting Tigers’ Permanent Team Captain in 2016. He has a field general’s mentality. While this may not seem like it has much value in fantasy football, it will show up on the stat sheet in the form of playing time early in his career and in critical moments of the game. He’ll assume a leadership role on his NFL team and become one of the franchise’s pillars. This week we saw the ends the Kansas City Chiefs were willing to go to in ensuring Eric Berry remained with their team. Jamal Adams will hold similar value to his future employer.

15.) He can succeed in the box – While he should not play full-time in the box, Adams is more than capable of holding his own. He’ll excel in goal line situations, both in coverage and against the run. He’s great at sifting through the trash and tracking down the football. If he’s needed to play close to the line of scrimmage he’ll have no issues being productive.

16.) He’s a gunner – Another opportunity for Adams to stack up tackles and generate turnovers is in punt coverage. He flies downfield, and pressures return men into signalling for fair catches. If the returner gets brave, and fails to call for protection, he risk getting lit up by Adams, who frequently beat low punts downfield. Despite being a shoe-in for a starting job in the secondary, Jamal Adams is a weapon on kick coverage that teams will have to gameplan for in the third phase.

17.)  Live by the Sword – Adams’ aggression and anticipation cuts both ways. His habit of peeking in the backfield and following his instincts can sometimes lead him astray. Here, he sees through the play action fake, but drifts left with Wisconsin’s two wideouts just long enough to be out of position once the tight end breaks upfield after a delayed release. The only way this play was going to be successful was if the Badgers got Adams off the right hash, and chasing decoys. Mission accomplished.

Against Auburn, Adams bites on a fake jet sweep and allows the running back, (who was the lead blocker,) to sneak down the sideline. Had the play been an actual jet sweep, both Adams and linebacker Duke Riley would have snuffed it out at the line scrimmage. Adams missed the offensive linemen on their heels, a tell-tale sign of the pass.

18.) Pedigree – Adams father, George was the 19th overall pick of the Giants in 1985. He played six seasons at running back and fullback, posting a 257-886-3 stat line for his career. As for Jamal, he came to LSU as one of the top 10 recruits in the nation in 2013. During his senior year at Hebron High School, in Carrollton, TX, Adams had…get this… 18 carries and 17 receptions for a grand total of 35 combined touches. With those 35 touches he churned out 673 yards and 14 scores.

19.) He has “IT” – Certain players make you wonder what their teammates really think of them. It may be that they carry themselves like fools on the field, or make ridiculous statements in press conferences. Jamal Adams is anything but. You watch him play and it’s easy to see why he’s one of the highest rated prospects in this draft class. When you listen to him speak, it’s even easier to tell he is going to command the respect of his veteran teammates in the NFL, and wind up as a leader in the locker room.

20.) The following is LSU’s 2016 tilt versus Texas A&M. Jamal Adams had one of his most productive games of the year in this early season victory, posting five tackles, two TFLs, and a sack. Enjoy.

 

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