Mike Adams came to Ohio State, as a five star recruit, with a bevy of press clippings and expectations; however, he has bookended his college career with red flag incidents, first getting suspended two games in 2009 for violation of team rules, then having to serve an five game suspension, 2011, for his role in the "tattoos for memorabilia" scandal. In between, Adams was an extremely productive player, a three year starter whose presence was sorely missed at the beginning of this past season, when OSU's sacks allowed per game numbers skyrocketed from last year's totals. Adams has displayed a new sense of maturity this season, first choosing to fulfill his four year commitment to OSU, then winning the Jim Parker Award, presented to OSU's most outstanding lineman, and finally, at the combine, taking responsibility for past actions, stating "I've let these things build my character, rather than break it down." He still has questions to answer concerning work ethic and practice effort, but Adams isn't dodging NFL teams, admitting that, for him, the interview process was "the most important part of the combine." Unfortunately, as he later admitted and apologized for, during that interview process, he lied to teams concerning marijuana use while at OSU (Adams tested positive at the combine). As a show of good faith, Adams has vowed to delay his signing bonus for any team willing to take a chance on him. It remains to be seen how far this latest indiscretion will push Adams down in the draft.

     At just over 6'7" and 323 pounds, Adams is a huge lineman, with the frame to add additional mass, without adversely affecting his game. He possesses long arms (34") and massive hands (10.8"), which he utilizes adroitly in both run and pass blocking. Adams had a rather pedestrian showing at the scouting combine, where his 40 yard dash (5.40 sec.), shuttle (4.95 sec.), and cone (7.94 sec.) times were all in the bottom 20% for offensive tackles tested. And, his 19 reps in the bench press (which he improved to 21 at OSU's pro day) was the fourth lowest among players at his position; although his long arms can be partly attributed for his poor showing in the bench, it evidences a definite lack of upper body strength, which surely will be noted by NFL personnel reps. However, on the field, Adams' physical ability is more apparent than in the workout room. Here, he displays good overall athleticism, quick feet, and impressive lateral agility. He's extremely coordinated for such a tall player, and demonstrates a genuine short area burst as a run blocker. Though a little stiff in his upper body, he flashes fluid hips and smooth side to side movement when required to slide his feet. And Adams capped off his career with a strong showing at the Senior Bowl, as well as at his pro day, where he showcased his athleticism in one on one drills squaring off against opponents in space.   

    For a 6'7" player, Adams sits well in his stance, with suitable knee flex, and a low fire-off point in the running game. He flashes a good first step and short area burst, and gets a solid initial pop on the opponent, generally keeping good pad level, with a definite suddenness upon contact. However, if he fails to make a solid first hit, he tends to lose balance forward, sacrificing leverage. Adams has the lower body power to drive linemen off the ball, more like a bulldozer clearing the way than an engulfer of opponents. He does a good job setting the edge, using agility to position the seal and raw power to crash back inside, with the ability to cave-in the line. At times, he can struggle to stay under a defender's pads, especially in short yardage situations. In pass protection, he gets his hands on opponents quickly, using a jarring jolt and full arm extension. Here, he has the upper body power to knock back most defenders with the initial punch, and keeps his hands inside well, something that he struggled with early in his career. He does play with questionable intensity, running hot and cold from play to play, only at times flashing an aggressive attacking mentality.

    In general, Adams displays balance and solid footwork as a pass protector, a run blocker in the trenches, or in the open field. In the passing game, he's quick to set his feet coming out of a two point stance, and only slightly slower with his hand in the dirt. He gets a good jump at the snap, and engages immediately and solidly, with the exception being versus speed rushers off the corner; here, he tends to rush himself, and ends up lunging with mostly upper body, without getting his feet set under him. Typically, he demonstrates a sound slide step, fluid agility, and the ability to mirror opponents. He has a quick shuffle and doesn't cross his feet, but his steps have inconsistent width, and he has a tendency to stop short and reach. Adams can re-direct laterally, but, at times, he gets disconnected, and doesn't stay compact enough; however, he is quick to cut off inside rush lanes and establish position. In space, Adams is balanced and fluid, with the agility to easily get to second level defenders. He's nimble enough to get downfield on screens, and isn't just a shield blocker in the open field, demonstrating the athleticism to sink his hips and deliver a blow in space. In the run game, Adams is a fluid mover when asked to pull, able to smoothly get to the corner and lead block around the edge, and he does a sound job sustaining blocks on the move. 

    As a whole, Adams is an effective blocker due more to size and athleticism than sound, polished technique. Despite the height, he gets decent bend in the knees, though he looks more comfortable coming out of the two point stance. He establishes a wide base and uses reach to keep defenders off his frame, and, though he may not stop a rusher in his tracks, he re-routes opponents well, moving them around the pocket. He can anchor versus the bullrush, again using his wingspan to fend off rushers before they get into his body, but he's less effective against stronger powerful ends. At times, Adams bends too much at the waist, and is inconsistent with hand placement, tending to get them too wide. He also needs to improve versus two-way rushers. Here, he's strong against the initial move, but his footwork gets sloppy when the opponent counters; his feet get locked in place, and he compensates with all upper body, often overextending and losing balance. Also, Adams lacks patience, gambles on opponent's moves, and if not engaged immediately, has difficulty recognizing assignments, and too often blocks nobody.

    Mike Adams was a highly decorated, productive performer for the Buckeyes, who started for three years at the line's most difficult position, going against some of the best pass rushers in the nation, including Whitney Mercilus, JJ Watt, Adrian Clayborn, and Ryan Kerrigan. Along the way, he encountered several bumps in the road, mostly self inflicted wounds, which NFL clubs will have to analyze closely, in assessing his character, work ethic, attitude, and coachability. Adams is a physically imposing player, who possesses not only an ideal NFL-ready body, but also exceptional footwork, quickness, and agility for his size. However, he lacks raw upper body strength, which, considering how much he relies on initial pop and arm extension, will need to be improved significantly. In the running game, Adams employs a better than average first step, explosive initial pop, solid pad level, and sustained leg drive to be an effective man-on-man hole opener, though, occasionally, he gets his tall frame too upright, mostly in goal line-like situations, and can struggle with leverage. He utilizes quick feet and agility to get around the corner and seal the edge, and to engage downfield defenders. As a pass protector, Adams anchors solidly with his lower half, and fires his huge hands and long arms into the opponent's chest plate, creating more of an impact than his "weight room" strength would suggest. Here, he does an admirable job keeping the rushing lineman at a distance; however, against powerful opponents, Adams struggles defending the bullrush, and additional strength will be required to withstand NFL caliber defensive ends. And, though he's quick to set his feet, and does an admirable job sliding laterally and mirroring, he has trouble staying connected when forced to change direction, and can struggle versus corner speed rushers, where he overextends, sacrificing balance and lateral agility. Overall, Adams is a talented player, who looks the part, and possesses the required athleticism to be a starting caliber NFL left tackle; however, largely due to a lack of technique, he may struggle to consistently protect the passer, especially versus speed rushers. His flaws are certainly correctable, and it may serve him best to begin his career as a right tackle, until his game is more refined. The question with Adams is how much "want to" does he have; is he willing to put in the required time and work? He didn't consistently produce like a first round talent at OSU, but his ceiling is high, and it's likely that an NFL club will bet that, in the right setting, he'll blossom. As such, he should be a late round one pick, unless his positive drug test at the combine pushes him further down teams’ draft boards.