Josh Adams, RB, Notre Dame: 2018 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Josh Adams is part of what could be one of the best running back classes in recent memory. Does his 2018 NFL draft scouting report talk him up?

Position:  RB

School:  Notre Dame

Year:  Junior

Height:  6’2″

Weight:  225 lbs

STRENGTHS:

• Shows good hands when catching the football. No bobbling. Looks it in and secures before running. Seems a natural at it.
• Much faster than he gets credit for. When he gets open space he can throw it into another gear that often takes defenses by surprise.
• Surprisingly good wiggle for being a bigger back. Not a stop-start on a dime sort of guy but can make defenders miss with a nice cut from time to time.
• Does a good job of keeping his feet and not going down easy after initial contact. Shows the power to break tackles and fight for extra yardage.
• Heck of a stiff arm. He’s drilled a number of tacklers with it, allowing him to keep space and create big plays along the sideline.

So much of what Adams does well is on display here. The zero hesitation to get north-south on the hand-off. He follows the blocks right down the lane. Then he dishes out a vicious stiff arm to shed one tackler and after that he’s able to unload his deceptive speed to take it to the house. He turned what would’ve been a good play for most backs into a great one.

• Solid in short yardage situations. Doesn’t dance a lot. Gets downhill quickly and constantly leans forward, churning his feet to get every inch possible.
• A willing blocker. He has the size to pick up blitzes and also has taken on a fullback roll by throwing blocks to open lanes for others.
• Plenty tough. Absorbs contact well and has that capacity to wear a defense down over the course of a game and roll over them in the 4th quarter.

WEAKNESSES:

• Not really known for his lateral quickness or agility. While he has some shake he’s much more of a north-south type of runner.
• Vision tends to be a bit average. Follows the blockers more often than not and can often miss some promising cutback lanes.
• Though he has good speed, it takes time for him to build it up. His acceleration is middle-of-the-road which can explain why he struggles to get through smaller creases.
• Not a creator. Top backs can often use their athleticism and improvisation to make things happen. Adams isn’t typically that type.
• A feast or famine back. Can have a great game one week and disappear the next. More proof how reliant he is on good blocking.

Pro Comparison:  Matt Forte

One of the more underrated backs of the past decade was without question Matt Forte. He never got a lot of attention because of his smooth running style. He wasn’t the strongest or fastest. He was just really good at everything. He could run, catch, and block. His considerable height also added to his advantage. These are all similar traits that Adams shares. Truly it’s like they’re a mirror of each other.

Projection:  2nd Round

Forte went in the 2nd round to Chicago back in 2008. Barring an injury or poor pre-draft performance, the same should be expected from Adams. That’s not an indictment on him. It’s just that he’s not flashy enough to go in the top 32. Even so that won’t matter in the long run. He’s going to make some team very happy.