New York Giants Draft Ladarius Green-Like Jerell Adams

With the 184th overall pick, in the 6th round of the 2016 NFL Draft, the New York Giants select South Carolina Gamecocks tight end Jerell Adams.

With many Giants fans suspecting the Giants would go with a much-needed offensive lineman – either a right guard or right tackle – or another defensive lineman in a draft that was chock full of ’em, Big Blue threw a curveball and selected a pass-catching tight end to join Larry Donnell, Will Tye, Jerome Cunningham, and Matt LaCosse.

Jerell earned a draft grade of 5.46, which means “Backup or eventual starter”. He was the top performer in the 40-yard-dash, 20-yard shuttle, and 60-yard shuttle. NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein compared Adams to Cincinnati Bengals 2015 third rounder Tyler Kroft, adding:

"“Tall and lanky for a tight end, Adams actually has better play strength than the eye test might indicate. Adams doesn’t have the surest hands in this draft, but he is unique in that he can challenge defenses down the field and shows the potential to be helpful as a run blocker. Adams should come in as a quality backup with an “eventual starter” tag tied to him.”"

More from GMEN HQ

In 37 games at SC, Adams hauled in 66 passes for 977 yards and seven receiving touchdowns. Adams was a two-time member of the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll and the 2015 Dr. Harris Pastides Outstanding Student-Athlete Representative.

Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus graded Adams as the top stand-out at tight end position from the scouting combine, writing:

"“This is not a tight end class blessed with super-athletes, but arguably the best performance of the group in Indy came from Adams. His 4.66-second 40-yard dash time was the fastest posted, and his 10-yard split was among the best. He also checked in with prototypical size for the position at 6-foot-5, 247 pounds. Adams this season graded positively at PFF, but it was almost entirely as a run-blocker; he earned ninth-best grade in the nation, including many players who were blocking specialists in run-heavy offenses.Adams did catch 28 passes, scored three times and broke 10 tackles after the catch, but he also dropped five balls over the season and was only average as a receiving threat. He is a mid-round prospect in this draft, but in a weak TE class he may have raised his stock a little based on solid workout numbers.”"

CBS Sports draft analayst Jame Newberg compared Adams to former San Diego Chargers tight end Ladarius Green, noting:

"“Adams is an intriguing prospect simply because of his combination of size, speed and hands. Certainly, he will have a chance to wow NFL scouts during the pre-draft process. On the other hand, he didn’t exactly light the SEC on fire and finished with a modest body of work.Granted, South Carolina’s offense wasn’t potent in 2015. Still, his production got better in each of his four seasons in Columbia. Adams looks like a possible mid-round pick but more likely a late-rounder. He could be a nice value pick and a NFL prospect with upside.”"

Next: Top 10 Giants Draft Classes Of All-Time

The Giants now have pretty much four or five pass-catching tight ends, two of which have comparisons to one-time Chargers tight ends – Will Tye has been likened to Antonio Gates and now Adams being a guy like Green.

Home/NY Giants Draft