Jamal Adams needed to lower his 40-yard dash time at his pro day. That’s just what he did, and he might have lowered his time in the green room on draft night.
The LSU safety was timed at 4.33 Wednesday, according to ESPN.com. Pro day times can be a little more subjective than combine times, but sources from two teams said that Adams definitely ran in the 4.3s.
Adams’ combine time of 4.56 was slower than some defensive linemen. His pro day performance should solidify his draft stock and possibly vault him into the top four. Adams is well aware that no safety has been drafted in the top four since the Browns drafted Eric Turner at No. 2 in 1991.
“There’s tons of talent in the draft, so hopefully I make history,” Adams said. “Hopefully I go top-four.”
Adams’ ambitions don’t end there. He’s not afraid to utter the words “yellow jacket.”
“That’s my main goal, to be a Hall of Famer,” he said. “But as a rookie coming in, I just want to earn the respect of my teammates and my coaches and do whatever they ask me to do, whether that’s running down on gunner on kickoff, taking water, taking helmets. Whatever they need, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Adams is saying all the right things, presumably he learned a thing or two from his father. Former Giants running back George Adams was picked 19th overall in 1985.
Jamal Adams probably wasn’t in danger of falling that far even with his lackluster 40 time.
“He’s a top-five guy at 4.5 speed, too,” ESPN analyst and former NFL safety Matt Bowen said. “He can be a special player in the NFL — a guy that comes in and changes the identity of the secondary.”
In three years at LSU, Adams intercepted five passes, had 18 tackles for loss, 14 passes defended and two forced fumbles.
Given his keen sense of history, Adams probably knows that since Turner was drafted in 1991, Sean Taylor and Eric Berry are the only pure safeties chosen in the top five. Taylor made two Pro Bowls and Berry has made five.
So while it’s rare that teams draft safeties in the top five, when they do they usually get it right.
About Mike Batista
Mike is a longtime NFL analyst and Steelers fan. He currently writes for Steelers Addicts, and has also written for Bleacher Report.
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