Colts Prospect Interviews: Missouri OT Paul Adams

The Colts prospect interviews are rolling along as we approach the NFL Draft. Today’s player interview is Missouri Offensive Tackle Paul Adams. The Colts need more depth along the offensive line and Adams could even prove to be a long-term developmental option at tackle.

The interview will be towards the bottom of the page. We talked about blocking for a quarterback like Drew Lock, all of Adams’ awards from coaches and players, and how he fits this Colts team.

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Background

Size:

6’5” 317 pounds

Measurables:

40 Time: 5.16 / 10-yard split: 1.83 / Bench Press: 16 Reps / Vertical Jump: 27 inches / Broad Jump: 103 inches / 3-Cone: 7.68 seconds

Fit with the Colts:

Adams is huge offensive lineman that tested decently at the combine. He is a solid pass protector who performed well in the SEC over the past few seasons. For the Colts, he would likely be a later-round developmental guy who can provide solid depth along the line. He fits the mold, in terms of character and mentality, that the Colts like along their offensive line. Adams may not be a finished product right now, but give him a year or two behind Anthony Castonzo and Braden Smith while working with Chris Strausser and Howard Mudd, and Adams could develop into a solid tackle in the NFL.

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Film Room

Adams has solid feet in pass protection and has long arms that he uses to control blocks. He also performed well in the tough SEC conference. As Erik mentions in the tweets below, though, he could stand to bulk up a little bit.

Adams flips his hips well in run blocking. Again, he’s not the most physically dominant player, but he understands how to create space for runners.

Adams brings the mentality to drive players out of the hole. He has a good mindset and good feet, he just needs to develop a bit and add some strength.

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Interview

ZH: You were given the Team’s Don Faurot Most Inspirational Award in 2018. What exactly is that award and how did it feel to receive it?

PA: The definition is kind of someone who is trustworthy on and off the field. It’s a prestigious award, a very cool award to receive, and I’m honored to have received it from all of my coaches who voted me for it. It is just for someone who is recognized as being responsible and trustworthy on and off the field.

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ZH: You were also a two time Team Captain for Missouri. What did it mean to be a Captain for your team?

PA: It’s huge, obviously. Just getting that trust from your peers, who voted, so obviously the fact that they wanted me to represent them on Saturdays all throughout the season, kind of being their voice, I thought was very cool. Even a little bit my Redshirt Sophomore year, I got to see a little bit as a Captain and that is kind of awesome to be kind of a youngster stepping up into that role to try and lead the way. The past two years have been really cool just trying to show what it means to be someone who really cares about the program, and someone who is always trying to do the right thing and teach these other guys what it means to be an SEC football player.

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ZH: Shifting the focus a bit to one of your teammates, quarterback Drew Lock. What was it like playing with a guy like that in your career?

PA: When I first started getting snaps my Redshirt Freshman year, he was in at quarterback, so I’ve been able to block for him for four years now and watch him mold into the man he is today has been really fun. I’ve been really good friends with him since then and everything that has been shown is kind of who he is. He also has so much talent and I think whatever team picks him up is going to get a face of a team that is just ready to lead. Even at a young age, even as a rookie, he’s ready to lead. I think he is just one of those guys that is just a true competitor and an all around guy who wants to get better. Obviously, the last couple years, he was for sure going to be our starter but he knew there was so much better for him and he wanted so much more so obviously he was just internally competing with himself trying to be the best that he can be.

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ZH: You received an invite to the Shrine Game this offseason. How was that experience for you?

PA: It was a lot of fun. It was awesome to get that learning from some of the coaches that are in the NFL. I was just learning the game and trying to pick their brains and some NFL legends that were there, like Mark Brunell, were there too, and it was really just a lot of fun. I got to meet a lot of cool people in the process, like some guys who I’ll hopefully be able to play with in these next couple years. The whole experience though was just a lot of fun, I learned so much about myself in that process and tried to take from other people’s bag of tricks and try to implement them to my game. Just an overall great experience, and it was only a week long and it felt forever, but it didn’t last forever and we had a fun time. We also came out on top you know, we won that game so it was nice to end my college career on a win.

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ZH: Going to your game now, you played in the SEC the last few seasons. Do you think the talent on defense that you had to face each week has prepared you for the NFL?

PA: Oh, 100%. There was a couple guys we played against this past season that are going to be some of the first names being called off the list, in Quinnen Williams and Josh Allen. Those two guys come to mind right away and I had to go against them. It’s guys like that who make you know, will beat you a couple times, and that’s alright because they are really good players. Sometimes you know it is bad because they’ll get you a couple times, and you are just like “Dang, alright” but you have to respect them as really good players. You are a really good player too, and you can beat them as well. I think this year, though, was pretty eye-opening for me, because I think it was one of the better years I had, competition-wise.

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ZH: Going off of that, you mentioned Quinnen Williams and Josh Allen but who was the absolute toughest guy you had to face in your time in college?

PA: Personally it would either be Josh Allen or, in practice, I had Markus Golden and Shane Ray my Freshman year. Those two were a handful and they definitely made me better. There were some times where it hurt the confidence a little, because they would embarrass you and you go “Okay, well I’ve never seen that before but I guess I’ll try to block it since I’m on scout team”, but this past year it had to be Josh Allen. Just his quickness as well as strength, he does a really good job of implementing things into his game. He has a lot of tricks in the bag, so kudos to him.

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ZH: This next question is testing you a little bit: There are many different types of rushers in the NFL from speed rushers to powerful bull rushers. How do you prepare differently for two vastly different styles coming at you?

PA: For speed and bendy guys, it is really just counting the steps. It is a lot of film study to know when exactly he is going to make that dip and rip, or when he is going to come back inside if you over-set, so I would say, for a speedster, it really is just being comfortable knowing that you feel out of place but as long as you are between him and the quarterback you are good. Just a lot of film work on them though.

For more power rushers, just knowing you can be more sturdy inside. There aren’t going to be too many chances of him going all the way outside and trying to beat you on the edge. Just gotta play feet in and get ready for that bull rush.

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ZH: Last few questions are going to be more Colts-related. First one is that the Colts are pretty set right now on the line with five starters. How would you feel initially coming in as more of a reserve or backup role in the league?

PA: I’d be pretty comfortable. Obviously it is a whole different ball game when you go to the next level. The speed and just the play of the game is so much more advanced than what it is in college, so just learning from guys like Braden Smith, Quenton Nelson, Evan Boehm— who I played with for two years— you just gotta eat up as much as you can. Those are guys who have done it before so they obviously know what they are talking about. They have also earned the respect from coaches and their peers to be a starter in the NFL and that speaks well into their character and they deserve a lot of praise for that. So wherever I do end up, I do probably see myself being a backup for a year or two until I can prove myself. I’m just going to eat up as much as possible and keep on working.

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ZH: Last question for you. You kind of mentioned these guys already but the Colts have established a mentality on their offensive line. They put players in the dirt and finish blocks. Guys like Quenton Nelson, Braden Smith, Evan Boehm, Ryan Kelly and so on all continue that mentality. Is that something that you would be able to contribute to if you end up with the Colts?

PA: Oh for sure. I think my freshman year when I first came to Missouri, I wasn’t really that guy. Probably my first two years even I was probably more of a finesse guy. I learned from guys like Evan Boehm. I got to watch him play for two straight years and 26 straight games for him and I just got to sit there and watch him play, and he got a lot of high praise on his way to becoming a fourth-round draft pick. Watching guys like him and Mitch Morse and Connor McGovern and the pure nastiness they played with, and it obviously helped out my game so much, and I really think it’s a bigger part of my game now.