Tre's scouting notebook: Davante Adams

As I continue what probably seems like an utter obsession with wide receiver prospects in this draft, the next guy on my list is Davante Adams of Fresno State. You've probably seen his name, in fact he tends to get mocked to the 49ers in the second round quite frequently. Let's take a closer look at the red-shirt sophomore and what he could bring to the table.

He's pretty well-put-together at 6'1" 212 lbs, which probably looks similar to another receiver we're all familiar with. Of course I'm talking about Michael Crabtree, with whom Adams shares some traits (but not all). The 49ers do like a solidly-built receiver, and those are the types of players who typically "stick" on the team.

Adams had a decent Combine, running 4.56 in the 40, jumping 39.5" and 123" in the vertical and broad jumps, respectively. While he's not overly fast, a little like Crabtree, that's not really his game. Let's look at the pros/cons.

Positives:

Adams adjusts to the football very well, which is an under-rated trait for a receiver in my opinion. He'll also go up and get the ball, using his basketball skills to win at the catch-point much like a rebound or alley-oop. He has a little bit of wiggle to his game (moves) but he's not quite the elusive after-the-catch guy that Crab is. He has good burst, sets up his blockers well for the most part and has good vision to find the open space on the field with the ball in his hands.

He get's off the line with some shake, again, reminiscent of Crabtree. He's especially good at this on short routes where he expects to get the football quickly after the snap.

Negatives:

Speaking of blocking, Adams needs work here. He doesn't look too excited about doing it, and tries to get away with simply being in front of his guy, or blocking him for just a few seconds. His hands could also use some work. He'll body-catch at times and drop some semi-difficult but catchable passes.

Adams tends to move east-west, or sometimes backwards, when trying to juke-out a defender. He will give up some yardage as a result. And while he is often adept at going up and getting the ball, he doesn't win all of his contested catches.

Conclusion:

Adams is a bit raw, and his hands need work. He'll need to learn an NFL route tree as Fresno mostly used him on bubble screens, drags, and fades. His athleticism is his best asset right now, and if he can further develop the finer points of his game, I think he can be a solid number two type player.

He doesn't have the speed to threaten a defense deep with much separation, but his leaping ability means he's nearly always open. He'll need to hit the weight room (14 reps on the bench press) which should help him as a blocker and breaking tackles. He seems to try to run around defenders, even when that means going backwards.

I think Adams is a late second round type of guy and would compliment a true number one player nicely.