Could Rookie TE Jerell Adams End Up The New York Giants’ Starter In 2016?

For the 184th overall pick in the draft, New York Giants tight end Jerell Adams has a ton of upside. Could a sixth-round pick eventually leapfrog Will Tye and Larry Donnell on the depth chart?

For the past three seasons, the New York Giants struggled to find a truly effective tight end. Donnell is the de facto starter coming into the season. He was adequate in 2015 before a neck injury cut his season in half. In eight games, he had 29 catches for two touchdowns. Donnell has always had trouble with drops and, according to Ed Valentine of Big Blue View, Donnell “doesn’t have the will to be a good blocker.”

Tye is an incredible story and Giants fans are pulling for the guy from Stony Brook becoming a star, even labeling him “Baby Gates.” And during his tenure as a starter, he showed some serious potential with three touchdown grabs. Again, his blocking is a work in progress as he had never faced the size and skill of NFL players at a smaller school.

ESPN’s Todd McShay argues that Adams may have the “highest ceiling of all the tight ends in this class.” Jerell Adams was a steal in the sixth round and according to Pro Football Focus, one of the best picks of the draft.

“Adams is one of two tight ends in this class that we saw as legitimate blocking and receiving threats (Hunter Henry being the other). Among Power-5 tight ends in the draft class, Adams had the highest run blocking grade and the fastest 40-time at the combine. He wasn’t utilized as a receiving threat much at South Carolina, but he when was he was superb. On only 28 catches, Adams broke 10 tackles.”

As one scout told NJ.com, “Adams is extremely talented, arguably the best all-around talent at the position in the draft when it comes to athletic ability, size, hands, strength – he is the best blocker.”

The common thread through all the scouting reports is that Adams can block. That skill set is something the Giants lost when Daniel Fells was sidelined with MRSA. The Giants run game struggled mightily in 2015 and a blocking tight end could be an asset in 2016.

As for being a receiving threat, Adams was a beast with the ball in his hands. According to PFF, he averaged 7.5 yards after the catch, the 2nd-best rate in this draft’s TE class. Adams forced one missed tackle for every 2.8 receptions.

Only time will tell if his college production will carry over into the pros, but Adams’ blocking ability adds that extra dimension that the Giants have been missing. The knock on Adams is his mental acuity as many scouts have noted. With Eli Manning under center, Adams will have to adjust at the line of scrimmage which may be a difficult as a rookie. If he shows in camp that he has a grasp on the offense, expect Adams to challenge the Tye and Donnell for the starting role at some point in 2016.