Jonathan Adams NFL Draft Overview
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 6’-2”
Weight: 210 pounds
School: Arkansas State
Jonathan Adams 2021 NFL Draft Profile
After spending the past four seasons at Arkansas State, wide receiver Jonathan Abrams is hoping to take his talents to the next level in the 2021 NFL Draft. Adams is coming off of what is easily his best season to date, recording 78 receptions for 1,106 yards and 12 touchdowns on 121 targets. Each one of these marks represented a career-high, even though he played more snaps in 2019.
Adams initially joined the college football ranks as a two-star recruit. After not receiving attention from major programs, Adams committed to Arkansas State and turned into a pretty solid receiver. After serving as a depth option through his first two seasons, Adams finally broke out in his junior season. In 2019, he recorded 62 receptions for 851 yards and five touchdowns on 101 targets.
Strengths
- Big play threat with the ability to change a game with one catch;
- Hasn’t met a defender he won’t leap over for a catch;
- Great at getting off the line against press;
- Strong, physical player that can overpower defenders;
- 92nd percentile burst score and 57th percentile college dominator.
Weaknesses
- Can’t do anything other than win jump balls down the field;
- Painfully slow out of his breaks – don’t ask him to move east-west;
- Doesn’t have much deep speed – every catch will be a contested one;
- Terrible route runner with a limited tree;
- Late breakout age especially concerning considering level of competition.
NFL Comparison: J.J. Arcega-Whiteside
Teams With Need At Position: Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals
Projection: 6th/7th Round
Bottom Line on Jonathan Adams
Jonathan Adams is the definition of a one-trick pony. If looking solely at his highlight reel, you’d think that you’re getting one of the best players in the entire NFL Draft. The Arkansas State product excels at winning at the catch point, and Adams’ 10 or so best plays could go up against anyone else in this class. His ability to high point the football is second to none, and he already knows how to use his above-average strength to outmuscle cornerbacks without drawing a flag. He can also beat press coverage at the line, which isn’t the easiest thing in the world for some college receivers.
However, Adams’ film gets considerably less impressive when you watch him do anything else. Even though he makes most of his plays down the field, he doesn’t have great deep speed. He’s strong enough to win contested catches against collegiate cornerbacks, but will that translate to the bigger, faster, and stronger world of the NFL?
If it doesn’t, then it’s hard to imagine any world where Adams makes it in the NFL. The Arkansas State product simply does not run good routes, and his lateral agility is one of the worst in the entire class. He loses most of what speed he has when running breaking routes, and he isn’t going to be able to move all over the formation. Ultimately, he could be a good depth receiver with situation-specific roles, but it’s hard to see him becoming anything more than that.
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