Less than two months ago at the NFL Combine, former LSU Tiger Jamal Adams minced no words as to where he stood among the prospects vying to be picked in the NFL Draft.
“I feel like I’m the best guy in the draft,” Adams said at the podium that day, “I definitely feel like I should be the number one pick.” Fast forward to Thursday night in Philadelphia and Jon Gruden was saying the same things about the former standout from Lewisville Hebron.
Adams was selected with the sixth overall pick by the New York Jets Thursday night and will start his NFL journey in The Big Apple. His talent and confidence in his ability resonates with players and coaches, including his head coach from high school in Brian Brazil.
“He’s a very talented young man,” Brazil said of his former star safety. “You have to have an extraordinary amount of talent to be able to do the things that he’s done right now.”
Brazil has led the Hebron football program since the school’s first varsity season in 2000 and still leads them today. He’s seen many talented players go through his program but Adams stands out.
“There are a lot of kids who are ready to go to college and play eventually but he was one of those guys where he could just walk off from Hebron and get ready to step on to a college field. I’ve never been around a kid like that.”
Adams showed that talent in Baton Rouge, putting up 209 tackles, 127 solo, 17.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and five interceptions in his LSU career. He has the production but according to Jets head coach Todd Bowles, he’s an ‘alpha dog’ and Brazil would agree with that sentiment.
He just had a phenomenal drive and a high football IQ from a very young age. He understood the game, wanted to know more and wanted to be coached hard,” he said, “He has just continued to improve his game and has a desire to be the best with the talent to go along with it. It was really the perfect storm.”
Adams is a Jet and he’ll hope to be part of a defensive turnaround that the Jets have been searching for the last few years. Ultimately, Brazil believes that Adams has the key to be successful in the NFL.
“The thing that I think is overlooked is his desire to win as a team. It’s not about him having picks or having a bunch of tackles. He wants to win, be successful and he wants to go somewhere to help a team win and be successful. Whatever he can do to win is what Jamal Adams is about and that’s the way he’s always been.”
Brought to you by:
