Meet the Giants: Spencer Adkins

August 30, 2012; Jacksonville FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver

(80) is pursued by Atlanta Falcons linebacker

(59) in the first quarter of their game at EverBank Field. The Jaguars won 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports

Giants Fans: Meet Spencer Adkins

New York Football Giants fans, if you go to ProFootballReference.Com and search out Spencer Adkins, at first glace you might think he was a retired player. Click his page and you’ll see a player that hasn’t played a game since 2011, wherein he made his lone NFL start.

His former team was the Atlanta Falcons. When all was said and done with the dirty birds, Spencer Adkins hadn’t done much more than make a few tackles here and there. If you’re looking for reasons why the Giants signed Spencer Adkins, you’re not going to find many in his NFL stats. The two years without any football action give off a GIANT red flag.

Back when Spencer Adkins was coming up in college, the analysts at NFL.com had this to say about Adkins in his makeshift draft profile (here):

"Pick Analysis: After a productive high school career, Adkins never developed into a standout for the Hurricanes. He wasn’t even invited to the scouting combine in February, but impressed scouts from 17 NFL teams who showed up to Miami’s pro day just days after the big Indianapolis event.“I look throughout the league nowadays and there are a lot of dudes who didn’t get drafted and are Pro Bowlers. That’s the motivation I have,” Adkins told The Miami Herald after his pro day workout. “There were a couple questions about if I liked the inside or rushing off the edge. I told them, ‘It doesn’t matter. Whatever you want me to do I’ll be able to do.’ I think (Friday) opened up a lot of eyes.”It was the sub-4.5 seconds he ran his 40-yard dash in at his pro day that opened those eyes, as that’s rare timed speed for an inside linebacker. However, he lacks assignment discipline, didn’t produce great numbers for a program with a long linebacker tradition and will have to make his mark early on special teams to stick in the NFL."

In a breakdown of minicamp a while back, NJ.com posted this piece titled, Giants depth chart: Post-Minicamp breakdown. In the linebacker section, it goes to show how big of hill Adkins has to climb just to be in the conversation for playing time in New York:

"Strongside Linebacker:Devon KennardSpencer PaysingerSpencer AdkinsAnalysis: Kennard surprisingly has jumped to the top of this list with McClain moving to the middle. He’ll battle with Paysinger for the starting spot, if Jon Beason isn’t ready by Week 1."

At the University of Miami, Spencer Adkins has a total of 64 tackles and five sacks over 33 games — not the type of numbers that make you think future NFL super star. Regardless of Adkins’ past, or his identity on the roster as a likely camp body, it’s important to note that with the Jon Beason injury, the Giants are only a few hamstrings, ankles or a perhaps even a swollen wrist away from meeting Spencer Adkins on the GIANTS defense.

At this point in Adkins career, that’s best case scenario. It’s unlikely that Akins will earn snaps straight up, and if Spencer receives any playing time at all it will most likely be due to injury. So, Giants Nation… with that in mind, Meet Spencer Adkins. Just keep him in the background. Anything else and it could mean the Giants are running out of options at their once storied position.