S. LSU. Jamal Adams. 19. player. 55. Adams does his best work when he’s near the line of scrimmage, especially downhill in the run game. And with the same instincts and film study he diagnoses running plays, he’s quick to jump routes underneath. He also has the quickness to mirror slot wide receivers and the physicality to match up with tight ends.
<p>With his versatility to cover the different positions, he can also do it different ways, in press-man or off-man. That’s a do-it-all safety and the Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t had one of those since Troy Polamalu retired. But Adams, with all his talents, can finally fill the void Polamalu left that the Steelers defense needs.</p>
<p>The Steelers defensive front-seven will be back healthy next year and I believe in Bud Dupree coming off the edge. So they will get after the quarterback better and 2016 first-round cornerback Artie Burns will get the hang of it. Some wonder if ironman James Harrison will try to come back and play another year.</p>
<p>It may not quite be the Steel Curtain but the defense will be much better than it is now. And that’s really all the Steelers need because they have one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL. So we would be hearing from the Steelers deep in the playoff after the 2017 season after picking Adams.</p>