:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/57644317/usa_today_10407618.0.jpg)
In the run-up to the 2017 NFL draft, there was one prospect who I couldn’t watch enough of. It may have been the big hits, the excellent positioning or the exemplary leadership, but everything about this player led me to believe that he’d made an immediate impact, and go on to have a remarkable NFL career. That player was of course Jamal Adams and it just so happened that the Jets jumped all over him when he unexpectedly fell into their laps.
I’ve been watching all season and he’s done nothing to make me believe that my pre-draft thoughts should be either tempered or changed. He passes the eye-test on a weekly basis, he’s always around the football, he rarely makes mistakes and his communication is obvious for all to see. Eye’s can be misleading, we all know that. So I reached out to Pro Football Focus to get their evaluation of Jamal and here’s what I found out.
In his rookie year, Jamal Adams has recorded a 78.2 grade, ranking him 36th of 84 qualified safeties. His 84.5 grade in run defense ranks 9th out of 81 qualified safeties and his 79.0 grade in coverage ranks him 35th of 86 qualified safeties. In the past two weeks, he’s ranked 9th among 72 qualified safeties in overall grade. Needless to say, that’s pretty impressive for a rookie, hell that’s pretty impressive for a safety full-stop.
It doesn’t just stop there however. Through 10 games this season, he has generated 13 run stops on defense. That may not sound like a massive amount, however no rookie safety has ever had that many run stops through their first 10 games in over a decade. He’s also generated 5 total pressures, which again doesn’t sound like a lot... but that’s actually tied for the 4th most among qualified safeties.
I think we all appreciated that Jamal Adams is a great player, however this just puts it into context a little bit.
Not only is he performing on the field, he’s also proving extremely popular off the field. In the Dicks Sporting Goods jersey report, he has the 8th best selling jersey among defensive players in the NFL. He has the 45th best selling jersey overall and the 6th best selling rookie jersey.
The Jets are building something special on defence and Jamal Adams is the keystone that will hold it all together.