Update: Keion Adams was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 7th round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

One of the Pittsburgh Steelers pre-draft visits this offseason was Keion Adams, edge rusher from Western Michigan. I had the privilege of speaking with Adams and he opened up about his skillset and his visit with the Steelers.

Adams is no stranger to adversity. In 2013, Western Michigan had a record of 1-11. They managed to turn their team around and went 13-0 in 2016. Adams spoke highly of his team when discussing this feat:

What really got us from that point was working together and just believing in one thing, one common goal, I know that sounds cliché… I give credit to all my coaches and players and the dedication that they put out and everything they did. It just shows that no matter what, if you believe in a common goal, everybody comes to work each and every day, and ignores all the outside noise, doesn’t pay attention to anything but what’s right in front of them, and just takes it one day at a time, anything can be achieved.

Adams was a major contributor to the Broncos’ 13-0 season where he led the defense in sacks with 7.5, tackles for loss with 18, and forced fumbles with 3. This all led to him earning Second Team All-MAC honors in 2016.

Measuring in at 6’2, 247 lbs, Adams – a defensive end in college – is projected as a 3-4 linebacker in the NFL. In this role, especially with the Steelers, Adams would be required to drop into coverage as well as rushing the passer. Adams is confident in his ability to do this.

I was required and asked to do that as well. And just with my history of playing linebacker in high school and playing safety and stuff like that. It’s just like when you haven’t ridden a bike in so long, you just hop back on it. You just gotta get used to it. Get used to opening those hips.

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Intrigued by his history as a safety, I asked Adams about this and he explained his role on his high school football team and how many hats he wore.

In high school, I played literally anything: kick return, punt return, safety, even sometimes they put me at slot corner – that was at least 20-40 pounds ago – quarterback, I made all-state as an athlete. 

Though Adams is certainly not expected to perform all these roles in the NFL, his history shows his athleticism and willingness to help his team however possible.

One of the common negatives about Adams is his run-stopping ability. Scouting reports often claim he has insufficient strength and may only be a pass-rushing specialist in the NFL. Adams is well aware of these critiques and has been actively working on improving this area of his game proving his doubters wrong. When asked what he’s been working on Adams replied,

Just getting my strength up… I know some of the questions people had for me was my strength as far as stopping the run there on the edge… just making sure I’m as strong as I can possibly be just so I can go out there and show that I can play the edge

Being able to stop the run is essential if a linebacker wants to be more than simply a pass-rush specialist. Adams is being proactive about his critiques and feels his run-stopping abilities are underrated.

I think as far as my run stopping ability, I still hear that I can get engulfed by tackles and stuff like that. People think that I’m just a pass rusher more than anything else, but I just wanna go out there and prove that I can play both the run and the pass so I can be an every-down linebacker.

People knock Adams for his play strength, but his 27 bench press reps were in the 78th percentile for defensive end prospects. He is no slouch in the weight room and will only get stronger over time.

In the NFL, 3-4 linebackers are expected to be versatile players, but at the end of the day, their primary job is to rush the quarterback. I asked Adams how he approaches rushing the pass and what his go-to pass-rushing move was.

Mostly speed, cause I know most tackles can’t step back as fast as I can get there. But I know coming into the league they got tackles that are fast one-on-one, so I’m gonna have to use more of taking that space away from that, as far as body to body contact so that they won’t be able to use what they have and I’ll be able to maximize what I have, which is my speed. So mainly just hand-fighting – I like to hand fight, I like to play mind games with the tackles. Let them think I’m gonna come outside then probably come back in for a spin move. So just anyway I can use my athleticism and my quickness and my first step

Adams declaring speed as his best weapon is no surprise when examining his testing numbers. He ran a 4.7 40-yard dash (77th percentile), had a 36″ vertical jump (82nd percentile), and a 124″ broad jump (91st percentile) at his pro day. These numbers display a speed and explosiveness that is evident when reviewing his tape.

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Adams also walked me through his visit to Pittsburgh and the Steelers’ South Side facility. He visited the team on April 12 and told me all about his experience.

Maybe you didn’t know this, but Javon Hargrave, me and him are from the same city. So his younger brother I grew up with him and went to church with him so I was chilling with his younger brother he was showing me around the city walking around getting the whole feel for everything. Went to the facility, toured the facility, I met with coach Joey Porter, we sat down and had a conversation for about 30-40 minutes just getting to know each other, putting a name to a face, see what kind of person I was, and all of that good stuff. After I went down and ate breakfast I came back up and coach Tomlin was there. We had a nice little conversation, just asking about my background, my history. It’s like a job interview process at the end of the day. After that I met the defensive coordinator, we talked for a brief moment as well. Everything worked out good, everything was how I hoped, they said they really liked me and like my character.

I asked him more about what it was like meeting the coaches and if he felt there was chemistry between him and them.

Yeah we clicked well, we hit it off, you would’ve thought we were best friends and we went to college together. It was so genuine, they were open, they were 100% honest at the end of the day. We talked about my background, my style of play, and where they’d put me if I was drafted.

I also asked him more about the what the team culture was like.

You can definitely tell they’re family oriented, no one is just focused on football, they’re focused on people at the end of the day as well as football. The culture as far as around the facility, like I said, everyone was open, everyone was talking. Nobody had their head down or wasn’t paying attention. Everybody had a lot of energy, that vibes that I felt were great. The city was amazing, you got great vibes, big city. It was something I wasn’t really used to coming from North Carolina and something I had never experienced while being in school at Michigan. It was a whole entire new world for me.

Pittsburgh fans know how important the culture of family is to the team and city, and it’s really cool that visiting players get to experience that and can speak of how resonant the culture was.

I wanted to get to know Adams as a person, not just a football player. How a person approaches life often reflects how they are on the field. I asked Adams what the best advice anybody has ever given him and he gave me a very insightful answer.

Just to stay focused on what’s actually there. Don’t let too many distractions get to your mind, and just focus on the present. You can’t control the past and you don’t know what to expect in the future. All you can control is what you control, so make sure you do that will 100% effort. Whether it’s in the classroom, or on the field, or just in life, attack the day.

I also wanted to know what the experience of sacking a quarterback was like. We all know how exciting it is seeing a linebacker come around the edge and hit the quarterback, but I wanted to hear the perspective of the guy doing the hitting.

It’s like if anyone scored a touchdown, or when you see that first newborn, like when you worked so hard and you passed that test, that final exam. That’s probably the best way I can describe it. You’re just so excited, you just wanna celebrate with your teammates, your hearts pumping, just looking up at the crowd and everyone’s cheering for you at that moment because you made that play. And that’s probably one of the only times you’re ever really singled out when you make a sack, that’s one of the only times you’re actually focused on yourself. Cause you go to practice each and every week, especially in the NFL, you got tackles that are watching you, watching every step and trying to figure out how to stop you. And so once you go out there and you beat them after their long week of preparation, and you get that quarterback on the ground and that’s the most valuable position, the quarterback at the end of the day, so if you get after him and you disrupt any play on offense you can change the game. It’s probably one of the most exciting feelings I’ve ever had.

To end things on a light note, I asked Adams if he thought he could keep up with James Harrison in the locker room. This was obviously a loaded question, but I really wanted to hear Adams’ response.

I don’t think nobody other than body builders or the strongest men in the world can keep up with him. They call him Deebo, that’s a whole different monster. He lives, breathes, and sleeps in the weight room, when you got a guy like that who just has no remorse for the weights and doesn’t care and just tosses them around like they’re pillows, it’s tough to keep up with. But at the end of the day I’d be up for the challenge, I’d go in there and give it my best. I ain’t gonna back down from that.

You have to admire the guy’s honesty! Adams doesn’t necessarily need to keep up with Harrison, but as long as he tries, that’s as much as any person can do!

Keion Adams is a fascinating product and could be an impact player in the NFL. He is a high-effort, athletic player that could be a great mid-round selection for the Steelers. The team needs depth at outside linebacker with Jarvis Jones leaving the team and both Arthur Moats and Anthony Chickillo entering the final years of their contracts. Adams could use his speed and athleticism to contribute on special teams during his rookie year and he has the tools to develop into a contributor on the defense.

You can check out some film of Adams below and follow him on Twitter here.