From now until the 2024 NFL Draft takes place, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Illinois OL Isaiah Adams.
#78 ISAIAH ADAMS/OG ILLINOIS – 6042, 315 POUNDS. (RS JUNIOR)
NFL Combine
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Isaiah Adams | 6042/315 | 9″ | 33 7/8″ | 81 7/8″ |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 5.22 | 1.80 | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 8’6″ | 24.5″ | N/A |
THE GOOD
– Experience playing guard and tackle
– Good size and frame for either position
– Nimble feet and comes up quickly from his stance
– Muscular frame with good play strength
– Scans the field for work when uncovered
– Good lateral quickness to recover as a guard
– Excellent grip strength to latch and stay attached through the whole rep
– Plays with good hand placement to hold his inside carriage
– Pops guys backward in the run game
– Core and upper body strength to torque and manipulate defenders
– Stout anchor against long arm and bull rushes
– Washes defenders down the line in the run game
– Buries defenders in the run game
– Wrecking ball at the second level
THE BAD
– Has the frame and size to play tackle, but he struggles significantly against edge rushers
– Doesn’t have the foot speed to ward off speed rushers
– Gives up his inside shoulders when trying to overset as a tackle
– Can get caught playing too high in his pad level
– Hands and feet can appear not synchronized at times in the run game
– Needs to have a consistently stronger initial punch instead of relying on explosiveness and length
– Doesn’t appear to process moving fronts well
– Opens his chest up too often to start the rep
– Way too grabby and aggressive with his hands, staying latched too long, leading to penalties (15 in two years)
– Only two years of playing experience at the D1 level, and both years were at different positions
– Older prospect who will be 24 years old to start the NFL season
BIO
– Born 7/21/2000 (23 years old)
– 1,803 total snaps (943 LG, 731 RT, 128 LT); 24 special teams snaps (FG block, FG kick)
– 25 starts
– 2023 season: 31 pressures allowed, two QB hits allowed, nine sacks allowed, six penalties
– 2022 season: 11 pressures allowed, one QB hit allowed, four sacks allowed, nine penalties
– Team captain
– 2024 Senior Bowl participant
– 2023 All-Big Ten Honorable Mention and Academic All-Big Ten
– 2022 third-team All-Big Ten
– 2022 three-star JUCO recruit from Garden City Community College in Garden City, Kansas
– 2021 Transferred to Garden City CC from Wilfrid Laurier University in Warloo, Ontario, Canada
– 2021 NJCAA D1 first-team All-America
– Played high school football for the Durham Dolphins Football Club in Ajax, Ontario (CAN)
– Also played basketball and rugby in high school
TAPE BREAKDOWN
Isaiah Adams played the LT, RT, and LG positions at Illinois University during his two years of playing there. For a guy who didn’t have a ton of cumulative reps in his time there, his skills are that of a more experienced player. He has positional versatility to move around, and although he played right tackle this past 2023 season, his 2022 film of him at left guard was where he really flourished. He played with much better pass protection skills and balance and used his nastiness to move guys almost at will. Adams played in a balanced offensive scheme at Illinois, where they utilized inside zone and gap concepts with some RPO/play action. He has good size, play strength, and balance to find a home in the NFL.
As a guard or tackle, Adams is a mauler in the run game and truly plays through the whistle. He has more than a fair share of pancakes and driving guys into the ground. He is explosive out of his stance and is able to get his hands into inside position quickly to use his size and length to move guys. Look out once he gets rolling downhill, because he steams through guys routinely.
He is #78 in all of the following clips at RT and LG.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) April 10, 2024
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) April 10, 2024
He projects well to an inside zone or gap scheme. Adams can reach the second level more quickly than most linemen and really does a great job of sealing defenders off to create running lanes. He’s able to fly down the backside to seal off guys on delayed handoffs.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) April 10, 2024
He’s also good in combo block situations where he can cave in the side of the line with the center to create wide rushing lanes like he does here at the Senior Bowl.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) April 10, 2024
Once he latches on to guys, he does an excellent job of staying attached and tries extremely hard not to lose his grip. Sometimes, this results in penalties as well. He’s also able to pull well on the backside to get out in front of plays. An issue he does have in the run game is playing too high and allowing guys to access to his chest too easily. This especially becomes problematic when he sees 0-2i linemen who then twist and turn him because of their power evening out with his.
When assessing his pass protection skills, it’s apparent that he’s more comfortable as a guard than he is at tackle because he doesn’t have to worry about losing the short corner and having speed rushers use wide alignments. Adams is able to mirror and match guys if he can get to his target points quickly enough, as evidenced below.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) April 10, 2024
He struggled to get to his landmarks on time against speedier defenders and would lose often on his outside shoulder. Adams also had difficulty with outside-inside counter moves. His lateral footwork is good when he’s in short-area trench warfare, though. Adams is a smart player who’s able to identify stunts and twists. His anchor and core strength really allow him to get a wide base and stand up almost anyone on the defensive line. He has really good play strength, but sometimes he doesn’t get as low as he should with his knee bend to plant himself.
CONCLUSION
Isaiah Adams is an interior lineman who I don’t think is being talked about enough in this draft cycle. He also offers the capability of playing tackle if a team’s in a bind. He has all of the tools to be a successful guard at the NFL level: size, athleticism, strength, nastiness, technique, and intelligence. He can certainly work on maintaining a more consistent pad level and not being susceptible to inside counters, but his difficulties are correctable with coaching.
For a pro comparison, Marquis Hayes is a player from the 2022 draft cycle out of Oklahoma University who played with a similar temperament and showed all of the flashes of being a solid starting guard in the NFL.
Adams can play in a gap or zone scheme, but I think his athleticism and explosiveness lend themselves best to an inside zone scheme with elements of RPO/play action. He has so little experience playing guard that he still has a lot of room for growth and could make a big leap in play by the end of his first contract.
Projection: Early-Mid Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 8.0 – Future Quality Starter (Third Round)
Games Watched: vs Wisconsin (2023), at Iowa (2023), at Michigan (2022), vs Purdue (2022)
