A Closer Look at the Steelers New Recruits - Part II – Mike Adams (Xtreme Commentary)

A Closer Look at the Steelers New Recruits
Part II – Mike Adams

By John Race
SteelersXtreme.com


In the second round, the Steelers selected Mike Adams, offensive tackle, from Ohio State. This is the type of risky pick Kevin Colbert and the Steelers generally avoid. Adams has been plagued by character issues the past few years and is headed to a team that dumps players with those very issues. I’m going to defer writing about the details of his past problems until or if they surface while he’s a member of the Steelers. We’ve all made mistakes in our pasts and we should allow the Steelers to help Adams mitigate his issues going forward. Instead, I’ll focus on his play on the grid iron.

At 6’ 7” and weighing 323 lbs, Adams is a big guy who uses his body well to take up plenty of space on the left side. Because of his height, he has a leaner body than your typical offensive lineman. His motions are fluid which makes his play appear effortless. Watching his college game film, it’s easy to see the potential the Steelers like in this player.

On pass plays Adams uses his long arms to prevent defenders from getting into his body or obtaining the edge. For a man of his size, he displays decent footwork that allows him to keep his body between the defender and the quarterback. After using his feet to get into position, he then sets a good base and uses his hands to push defenders back or knock them off balance.

On occasion he incorrectly anticipates a defender’s move and, therefore, finds himself out of position. To compensate, he will reach out with one of those long arms and hold the defender. It’s surprising how often the college officials missed those holds, but the yellow flags will surely be there when he does this in the NFL.

Run blocking is where Adams made the greatest strides of improvement. Through his junior year at Ohio State, he had the tendency of leaning too far forward to engage a defender and did not have solid support from his legs. Often times, this allowed the defender to get beyond the block or shove Adams to the ground. In his senior year, he adjusted his technique to get his legs under him and support his driving motion, with much better results.

It’s fun watching film of a college offensive tackle that makes blocks more than ten yards down field. His nimble footwork helps establish good position when he’s on the move, which makes him a decent blocker on screens or run plays that require him to block at the second or third levels.

Unfortunately, he also has a tendency to take plays off. There were times at Ohio State that a defender would speed rush past Adams and he just didn’t make the effort to take the extra step and give the guy a shove.

Additionally, he had moments where confusion got the best of him. One prime example came on a play in his last college game against Florida. The defense rushed a man on his inside and another man on his outside. Adams leaned toward the man rushing on his inside and, simultaneously, looked at the man rushing on his outside. He then repositioned himself directly between the two defenders and ultimately, blocked neither. Any coach will tell his players that it’s bad enough to be confused as to which player you are responsible for blocking, but it’s a crime not to block anyone at all. When in doubt hit anyone wearing the opponent’s jersey. A rule of thumb when pass blocking is: when you’re unsure who to block, block the guy rushing your inside (the inside rusher has the shortest distance to the QB and represents the greatest risk to a play).

Strength is also an area that will need to be addressed in the offseason. Adams does not have a strong upper body and his lower body strength may be average at best. Lack of upper body strength is apparent on pass plays when a strong defender bull-rushes him. Once the defender drives into him, Adams has difficulty shoving the defender back so he can regain the advantage. At the college level he was able to get away with allowing the defender to get into his body and push him backwards. Players such as Terrell Suggs will have a field-day bull-rushing Adams.

The lack of lower body strength prevents him from finishing run blocks against some of the bigger, stronger opponents. This is another case of not causing much harm at the college level, but at the pro level Adams will face much bigger, stronger and faster defenders. He will need more lower body strength to move NFL defensive linemen when the Steelers want to run the ball.

Unlike the Steelers first round draft pick, DeCastro, Mike Adams will need to improve to become a starter. But don’t let this tough analysis fool you into thinking this was a bad draft selection. Adams is very good and the potential he has could set him on a path to becoming a great left tackle in the NFL. If he continues to show the year-over-year improvement trend he displayed at Ohio State, Mike Adams will become an outstanding asset for the Steelers.

another great read KR

im not as pumped up as i was when i finished reading your write up on decastro. Adams has a lot of work to do. i hope he is up for the task.

Nice analysis, KR! As VA stated, it seems Adams is not quite as inspiring as DeCastro and will need some work, but I'm confident he'll be an asset to this much maligned o-line at some point. Let's hope Kugler can whip Adams into shape quickly and get him in some meaningful games sooner rather than later.

I'm definitely glad we got Adams and it was an excellent pick in the late 2nd round. Fans do need to manage any expectations that he is almost a lock as a rookie starter, especially if he's used as a left tackle. We learned with Jonathan Scott that you can't stick just anyone in a role that might lead to blind-side shots to your QB.

Maybe the best way to compare DeCastro with Adams is this:
* DeCastro has the tools and talent to start now. Any improvement he makes now will help move him from starter to pro-bowler (not necessarily this year).
* Adams has the tools and talent to get drafted and make this team. Any improvements he makes will help move him to contender as a starter. These improvements will take a lot of sweat, concentration, and repetition in practice, meetings, weight room, film room, etc.

One thing I didn't include in the article: some of the skills Adams possesses can't be coached ... especially his footwork. He has a certain glide to him when he shuffles out on pass plays or changes direction to keep up with a shifting defender.

I agree with Buddha, Sean Kugler has done a great job coaching Pouncey and Gilbert as rookie starters. It will be fun to watch what he can do with Adams.

kirklandrules wrote:

He has a certain glide to him when he shuffles out on pass plays or changes direction to keep up with a shifting defender.

I see.... but does he have the "suddeness" to propel him to legendary status?

Al least he has an upside AND we got him instead of some obscure LT wannabe in the 6th or later. I heard him in an interview say this was his LAST SHOT. Let's hope he keeps that in mind and works toward being a pretty good or great LT.

solardave wrote:

Al least he has an upside AND we got him instead of some obscure LT wannabe in the 6th or later. I heard him in an interview say this was his LAST SHOT. Let's hope he keeps that in mind and works toward being a pretty good or great LT.

Is it just me or does it sound really bad that he's on his "last shot" before he's ever even played a down in the NFL?

I really hope this doesn't blow up in the Steelers' faces. I have high hopes it won't though.

Another great commentary, KR.

I'm excited about Adams. And the way I look at it ... there's no way he can be any worse than what we've had in recent years. There's nowhere to go but up.

kirklandrules wrote:

On occasion he incorrectly anticipates a defender’s move and, therefore, finds himself out of position. To compensate, he will reach out with one of those long arms and hold the defender. It’s surprising how often the college officials missed those holds, but the yellow flags will surely be there when he does this in the NFL.

Great... a Kemo in training?



Great read Kirkland! I have been promoting your commentaries on Twitter and one follower in particular has really liked your articles. Keep up the good work!

[quote="BGSU A Dub"]

kirklandrules wrote:

Great read Kirkland! I have been promoting your commentaries on Twitter and one follower in particular has really liked your articles. Keep up the good work! [/font]

Many thanks! Glad you guys like the commentaries.

[quote="kirklandrules"]

BGSU A Dub wrote:

kirklandrules wrote:

Great read Kirkland! I have been promoting your commentaries on Twitter and one follower in particular has really liked your articles. Keep up the good work! [/font]

Many thanks! Glad you guys like the commentaries.

Yeah. I didn't say it this time but I'll say it now. I always enjoy reading what you have to say. Thank you.