Davante Adams
-Separation - Starter Caliber (5/6)
-Routes - Reserve Caliber (3/6)
-Receiving - Starter Caliber (5/6)
-Elusiveness - Starter Caliber (5/6)
-Ball Handling - Reserve Caliber (3/6)
-Balance - Starter Caliber (5/6)
-Blocking - Committee Caliber (4/6)
-Vision - Starter Caliber (5/6)
-Power - Starter Caliber (5/6)
-Durability - Starter Caliber (5/6)

Comps: Rod Gardner, David Terrell, Ben Obomanu, Quincy Morgan, Chad Jackson.

Adams has a quick first step and he can extend for the football in the air. He catches the ball with his hands and can track it over his shoulder. He also demonstrates good awareness of the boundary. These three skills are what constitutes much of his game: the fade route. It’s a route that has earned Adams and quarterback Derek Carr a lot of acclaim this year.

But what can Adams do improve the rest of his game to match this one play? If he can, he has starter upside. If he can’t, the floor might hurt when he hits it. There is enough potential to Adams’ game that he can avoid that harsh possibility.

He has good size and quickness, he breaks back to the football on timing routes, and he displays skill at toe tapping the boundary on perimeter routes that aren’t fades. I also saw evidence of hard breaks with sudden stops, which is a very promising skill for a young receiver. Although a 4.56-second, 40 isn’t a great time for a wideout his size, Adams has the deep speed to get behind a defense. Factor in Adams’ skill to adjust to the ball in the air and win passes in tight coverage while airborne and the picture is rosier.

Adams often displays potential to make some fantastic adjustments on the football, but right now it’s more potential than reality. One of the reasons is he drops some high passes that hit his hands when the velocity has some zip. The other more troublesome issue is his lack of focus in the face of contact. I saw a consistent aversion to direct collisions as a receiver and runner. Adams either dropped the ball or was passive at the collision point. These are the type of plays that separate stars from contributors and if it happens too often, contributors from free agents.

Adams work as a runner is promising. He shows some patience behind his blocks and will press and cut back. He can make the first man miss and I like that he'll lower his pads to end a play. He often finishes with second effort on screen plays and he'll spin through contact to keep his legs moving to get extra yards. At the same time, Adams needs to demonstrate more decisiveness as an open field runner. He'll try to bounce some plays outside and then realize he should just lower the pads. I like that his final decision is to drop the pads and get physical, but the choice comes too late for him generate the power that he could. While part of the issue is Adams’ tendency to drop his head into the contact and give up leverage, I think the root cause of his troubles is that he’s too often a tentative decision maker as a runner. This hesitancy coupled with wide ball carriage is a recipe for turnovers.

Adams has to run block with more effort. He doesn’t take the initiative with his hands to strike his opponent and use his size to win matchups. All too often he waits for the defender to make the first move. Like most prospects, Adams has to work on his hands when separating from the line of scrimmage versus press man. Overall, he has to become more physical.

What worries me about Adams is that I see an absence of focus, play-to-play discipline, and seasoning in his game. Another year of college football could have benefited him. If he’s drafted early and doesn’t learn fast in the sink or swim NFL environment, he could have a disappointing career. If a team gives Adams a narrow role while he builds the rest of his game, I think he could become a good starter. I think Adams’ size and potential versus tight coverage makes him a better fit for an offense where he can run timing routes on the perimeter of a defense. As long as he wont be required to take as many big hits over the middle, a team will maximize his best skills.