The Steelers continued to shore up their offensive line on Friday night, as with their second round pick they took offensive tackle Mike Adams from Ohio State.
Adams has had issues at OSU, as he was part of the memorabilia scandal, and was caught a couple times with pot, including when he was at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Nevertheless, he’s 6’8 – 320 lbs, and gives the Steelers more youth on the O-line.
Mike Adams has been suspended for seven games in his collegiate career. That fact may ultimately hurt his draft stock with some teams, but his pro potential is very good despite being a raw prospect.
Given his elite height and size, Adams certainly passes the eyeball test as a pro prospect. He is the prototypical left tackle prospect who really excels with his footwork and has the talent to improve his technique. Adams will need to grow as a run blocker. He lacks that killer instinct offensive line coaches fall in love with. He will need to correct his techniques as a zone blocker as he sometimes loses his assignment and gets lost out in open space.
The most promising facets to Adams’ skill-set are his frame and good feet. He may need an extra year to develop or grow into the position as a rookie, but most every team in the NFL is willing to be patient with a guy his size.
Adams has mixed scouting reviews. Some feel he may never amount to anything more than a solid backup and others list him as a first round pick. Keep an eye on his draft stock as it may become volatile.
ROB RANG’S TOP 50 PLAYERS OF THE 2012 NFL DRAFT: 41. Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State: At 6-7 and 323 pounds, Adams certainly looks the part of an NFL offensive tackle. He’s flashed the ability to dominate while playing left tackle for the Buckeyes and has the light feet and long arms to remain at this all-important position in the NFL. Inconsistency, injuries and poor off-field decisions have marred what should have been a noteworthy career at Ohio State and as such I have reservations that Adams’ pro career, like his collegiate one, could leave his team wanting more. – Rob Rang, NFLDraftScout.com
At this point Adams lacks the great technique that would make him a reliable left tackle to protect a right-handed quarterback’s blind side. Given time he certainly could learn. Meantime, Adams already moves well enough to get into linebackers on the second level. He has a substantial frame with conspicuous muscle in the right places and the footwork of a dancer, albeit more like hip hop than ballet. On film he did well handling Wisconsin’s J.J. Watt (drafted No. 11 overall by Texas last year), but was befuddled by the nifty moves of Purdue’s Ryan Kerrigan (drafted No. 16 overall by Washington last year). In his final two seasons as a starter, Adams had issues on and off the field.
Source: Steelers Gab
