Kansas City Chiefs Draft Profile: Vernon Adams

I never like to take other people’s scouting reports for granted. I always like to see them in action for myself. When I watched Vernon Adams game tape I saw one thing over and over that in my opinion makes him worth drafting in the mid rounds as a developmental quarterback. Time and time again I saw Adams use his athleticism to extend plays all the while keeping his eyes up to scan the field and find an open receiver.

His arm strength may not be elite but it is good enough to throw the deep ball at the NFL level. He has his flaws, but the traits he has are special enough that I would like to see what Andy Reid could do with him. I think a few years of Reid coaching him up while he sat behind Alex Smith could be exactly what he needs to maximize those rare talents that he has. The Chiefs have also shown that they aren’t afraid of drafting a shorter quarterback when they took Aaron Murray (who is 6-foot-1 and 206 pounds).

But don’t take my word for it either, see for yourself.

This first gif shows Adams originally looking to his left then when pressure comes he jump cuts out around to his right. It would have been easy for him to just tuck and run but he keeps his eyes downfield and throws the ball 40+ yards in the air to hit his receiver.

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While I’m an Alex Smith fan, that’s not a play you see him make. He’s athletic enough to escape pressure but Smith usually drops his eyes once he scrambles and as we all know he rarely takes many shots deep like that. Smith’s ability to protect the football is a strength of his, and while Adams has big play upside it does not mean that he doesn’t protect the football as well. In four years as a starter between Eastern Washington and Oregon he had a touchdown to interception ratio of 136 to 37.

This next gif shows Adams originally looking to his right, pressure this time forces him to his left, but again he keeps his eyes up and is able to make a throw (this time off his back foot) and finds a crossing wideout for a touchdown.

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Here is one more example of what I’m talking about. Adams looks to his left, steps to his right to avoid pressure, locates a wideout who has a step on his man and drops the ball over the defensive back 40 yards downfield in the end zone for a touchdown.

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I’m not saying that Vernon Adams is a sure thing. I’m not saying that he should be a first round draft pick. I am saying that he possesses some very special gifts as a quarterback that I believe give him a higher upside than most quarterbacks that you would draft in the mid rounds. You aren’t going to find a perfect prospect with high upside in the mid rounds.

If they were perfect they would go in the first round. Adams is short. Adams needs some quality NFL coaching, but I believe his athletic ability mixed with his proven ability to keep his eyes up and find targets down field make him a solid developmental quarterback and I would be thrilled if the Chiefs took a chance on him as early as the fourth round.

So what do you think Addicts? Do you like the idea of the Chiefs taking a flier on Adams and seeing what Andy Reid can do with him? Do you find yourself thinking more like the experts at NFL.com and CBS who don’t see Vernon Adams as being starter material in the NFL? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

As always, thanks for reading and GO CHIEFS!!!!!