NFL.COM:
OVERVIEW
Also starred in basketball as a California prep. Redshirted in 2011, earning offensive scout team player of the year recognition. Was Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year in '12 when he amassed 102 receptions for 1,312 yards (12.9-yard average) and 14 touchdowns in 13 starts, setting conference freshman records for catches and yards. Led the nation in receptions and receiving touchdowns and set a single-season school record for receiving yards in '13 when he started 12-of-13 contests and piled up 131-1,718-24 (13.1). Owns MWC records for single-season and career touchdown catches (38) as well as the school mark for career receptions (233).
ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
Has a rangy build with good body length and secure hands to palm the ball and make difficult one-handed grabs. Tracks and adjusts to the ball very well downfield. Extends outside his frame and plucks the ball out of the air. Natural hands-catcher. Terrific athlete with good leaping ability and anticipation to properly time jumps and highpoint the ball. Wins jumpballs in the red zone and shows very good hand-eye coordination to take the ball away from defenders. Exceptional production. Has a 39 1/2-inch vertical jump.
WEAKNESSES
Lacks ideal functional playing strength to consistently beat the jam and can get hung up at the line. Long strider and is not sudden out of his breaks. Production was inflated from a quick-hitting, lateral passing game.
DRAFT PROJECTION
Round 2
BOTTOM LINE
A rangy, sure-handed possession receiver with starter-caliber, positional traits. Lacks top-end speed and strength. As a 21-year-old, third-year sophomore entering the draft early, is still growing into his body and developing core strength. Comparing favorably to a poor man's Michael Crabtree, Adams possesses very intriguing upside to be groomed.
CBS:
STRENGTHS: Broad-shouldered and well-built wideout who consistently wins at the catch-point, demonstrating good leaping ability, timing and hand-eye coordination. Tracks the ball well over either shoulder and has strong hands to pluck the ball when turned towards the quarterback. Quickly corrals the pass and wastes no time in getting upfield, showing vision to set up blocks as well as strength to run through arm tackles and a nice stutter-step to elude. Deceptive straight-line speed to challenge deep and shows good balance and overall body control to gain separation on comeback and out routes. Good strength and courage to take passes over the middle and isn't afraid of running through traffic. Alert blocker.
WEAKNESSES: Lacks the elite speed that his gaudy production indicates. Possesses normal acceleration and tops out quickly. Occasionally will allow the ball to swing away from his frame as he attempts to fight for extra yardage, which can result in forced fumbles. Cognizant blocker downfield but isn't nearly as physical in this area as he is when fighting through would-be tacklers. Production was certainly inflated by Fresno State's spread offense and because he is the favorite target of highly regarded quarterback, Derek Carr.
Compares To: James Jones, Packers - Like the former San Jose State standout, Adams' eye-popping numbers have come against questionable competition. However, his similar build, deceptive vertical speed and strong hands at the catch-point should help Adams emerge as a big-play candidate in the NFL.
PLAYER OVERVIEW
Adams caught 233 passes for more than 3,000 yards over the past two seasons, including leading the nation with 131 receptions in 2013, and opted to cash in on that success rather than return for his junior season with quarterback Derek Carr also moving on to the NFL.Adams was extraordinarily productive during his two seasons at Fresno State, but scouts must weigh that against the fact it largely came against inferior competition while catching passes from one of the top quarterbacks in the nation.
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