 Adams with the New York Giants in 2017. | |||||||||
| No. 89 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Tight end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1992-12-31)December 31, 1992 (age 32) Pinewood, South Carolina, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 254 lb (115 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Scott's Branch (Summerton, South Carolina) | ||||||||
| College: | South Carolina | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2016: 6th round, 184th pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Jerell D. Adams (born December 31, 1992) is a formerAmerican footballtight end. He playedcollege football atSouth Carolina.
Adams attended Scott's Branch High School inSummerton, South Carolina. He played football and basketball. In football, he playedquarterback,tight end,linebacker,defensive end andpunter. During his career he passed for 689 yards with 12touchdowns and had 21receptions for 581 yards and eight receiving touchdowns on offense. As a senior in basketball, he averaged 19 points and 13rebounds as a junior. Adams spent a year atFork Union Military Academy after high school.
Adams played at South Carolina from 2012 to 2015. During his career, he played in 47 games with 15 starts, finishing with 66 receptions for 977 yards and seven touchdowns.[1][2][3][4]
On December 14, 2015, it was announced that Adams had accepted his invitation to play in the2016 Senior Bowl.[5] Throughout Senior Bowl practices, Adams garnered attention and impressed scouts by showcasing his blocking ability and making multiple difficult catches.[6] On January 30, 2016, Adams made three receptions for 49 yards and was a part ofJacksonville Jaguars head coachGus Bradley's South team that defeated the North 27-16.[7] Adams was one of 15 collegiate tight ends to attend theNFL Scouting Combine inIndianapolis, Indiana. He ran the fastest40-yard dash among all tight ends and finished seventh in thevertical jump andthree-cone drill.[8] On March 30, 2016, Adams attended South Carolina'spro day, along withBrandon Shell,Pharoh Cooper,Brandon Wilds, and 13 other prospects.[9] He opted to stand on his combine numbers and perform only positional drills and the bench press for scouts and team representatives from all 32 NFL teams.[10] At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Adams was projected to be a third or fourth round pick byNFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the second best tight end in the draft by NFL analystMike Mayock, was ranked the fourth best tight end by NFLDraftScout.com, and the fifth best tight end bySports Illustrated.[11][12][13]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft5+1⁄8 in (1.96 m) | 247 lb (112 kg) | 34+3⁄8 in (0.87 m) | 9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) | 4.64 s | 1.64 s | 2.72 s | 4.31 s | 7.05 s | 32+1⁄2 in (0.83 m) | 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) | 18 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine/South Carolina'sPro Day[14] | ||||||||||||
TheNew York Giants selected Adams in the sixth round (184th overall) of the2016 NFL draft. He was the seventh tight end selected and was the last of three South Carolina players drafted, after Pharoh Cooper and Brandon Shell.[15] On May 6, 2016, the Giants signed Adams to a four-year, $2.48 million contract that includes asigning bonus of $142,855.[16][17]
Throughouttraining camp, he competed withMatt LaCosse,Larry Donnell,Will Tye, andRyan Malleck for the job as the starting tight end. Head coachBen McAdoo named him the third tight end on the Giants' depth chart, behind veterans Donnell and Tye.[18]
On September 18, 2016, he made his professional regular season debut in the Giants' 16–13 victory over theNew Orleans Saints in Week 2. On October 9, 2016, Adams made two receptions for 27 yards during the Giants' 23–16 loss at theGreen Bay Packers. He made his first career reception on a 13-yard pass byEli Manning in the fourth quarter before being tackled by linebackerJoe Thomas.[19] On November 6, 2016, Adams caught three passes for a season-high 24 receiving yards during a 28–23 victory over thePhiladelphia Eagles. The following week, he caught a season-high tying three passes for 18-yards and a touchdown in a 21–20 victory over theCincinnati Bengals in Week 10. He scored his first career touchdown on a ten-yard pass byEli Manning in the first quarter.[20] In Week 15, Adams earned his first career start and had three catches for 18-yards as the Giants defeated theDetroit Lions 17–6. He was inactive for the Giants' 19-10 victory over theWashington Redskins in Week 17. He finished the2016 season with 16 receptions for 122 receiving yards and one touchdown in 13 games and two starts.[21] The Giants finished with an 11-5 record and received a playoff berth after finishing second in theNFC East. Adams was inactive for theirNFC Wildcard loss to the Packers.
Adams entered training camp competing againstRhett Ellison, Tye, and LaCosse for the second tight end position behind rookie first round pickEvan Engram. New head coach Ben McAdoo named Adams the No. 3 tight end behind Evan Engram and Rhett Ellison to begin the regular season.[22]
On September 18, 2017, Adams had one reception for a season-high 38 receiving yards in a 24–10 loss at the Lions. McAdoo was fired after Week 13, due to the Giants poor 2-10 record. On December 24, 2017, he made a season-high four receptions for 31-yards as the Giants lost 23–0 at theArizona Cardinals. He finished the2017 season with eight receptions for 92 receiving yards in 16 games and one start.[23]
On September 2, 2018, Adams was waived by the Giants.[24]
On October 10, 2018, Adams was signed to theHouston Texans practice squad.[25] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 7, 2019.[26]
On October 1, 2019, Adams was waived by the Texans and re-signed to the practice squad.[27] He was released on December 3, 2019.[28]
On December 12, 2019, Adams was signed to the Saints practice squad.[29] He was released on December 27.[30]
Adams signed with theBaltimore Ravens on August 3, 2020.[31] On September 5, 2020, the Ravens released Adams, before re-signing him to their practice squad the next day.[32][33] He was released on October 6, 2020.[34]
On December 9, 2020, Adams signed with the practice squad of theDetroit Lions.[35]
On May 17, 2021, Adams signed with theTampa Bay Buccaneers.[36] He was released on August 31, 2021.[37]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2016 | NYG | 13 | 2 | 16 | 122 | 7.6 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2017 | NYG | 16 | 1 | 8 | 92 | 11.5 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 29 | 3 | 24 | 214 | 8.9 | 38 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
