Sophomore Adams leaps at chance to join NFL
Fresno State wide receiver Davante Adams couldn't wait to play in the NFL, so he chose to leave school after just two seasons.
And it probably won't take long for a team to select the 6-foot-1, 212-pounder, who is expected to be picked early on Day Two of the draft when the second and third rounds will be held.
Though he's not quite as big as Brandon Marshall, Adams likens his style of play to the Bears' 6-foot-4, 230-pound Pro Bowl wide receiver.
"I like Brandon Marshall's game," the 21-year-old Adams said at the NFL Scouting Combine, where he ran a 4.56-second 40-yard dash and displayed a 39½-inch vertical jump. "He's a receiver that can run (after the catch). I like Megatron (the Lions' 6-foot-5 Calvin Johnson). "I don't want to step on any toes saying I compare myself to the best players in the NFL, (but) I'd definitely say I model my game after those type of guys."
Actually, because of his size, strength and leaping ability that allow him to win jump balls down the field, Adams probably compares more favorably to the Bears' 6-foot-3, 216-pound Alshon Jeffery. The Bears' 2012 second-round pick used similar skills to compile breakout numbers last season (89 receptions, 1,421 yards).
No one is ready to project Adams' impact in the NFL to that of Marshall, Johnson or Jeffery - at least not yet. But he's an intriguing prospect given his physical tools and potential for growth combined with his production in Fresno State's pass-heavy spread offense. In just two seasons, Adams caught 233 passes for 3,031 yards and 38 touchdowns. He led the nation last season with 133 catches and 24 receiving touchdowns as a redshirt sophomore.
That elite production helped Adams decide to come out early.
"For the most part, I just felt that I was NFL ready … or I know I'm NFL ready," he said. "I feel like I've done everything I can do to prove to NFL coaches and whoever else is in charge that I'm ready for the next step. I put up some pretty good numbers this past season and the season before that.
"Obviously, I feel like I'm one of the best ... at wide receiver. (But) it doesn't really matter what I think. It matters what the GMs and NFL coaches think."
Fresno's offensive scheme greatly inflated those numbers, and Adams benefited from playing with Derek Carr, who is also expected to be a second-day pick. Adams doesn't argue that Carr was an integral part of his success, and says the QB deserves the attention he received.
"I was fine with him being Batman - that's what they called him," Adams said of Carr. "And I'll be Robin if it get me to the next level."
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