2016 NFL Scouting Combine: Why Vernon Adams Needs to Have a Breakout Day

Members of the San Francisco 49ers’ front office and coaching staffs will head to Indianapolis this week to judge prospects at the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine. University of Oregon quarterback Vernon Adams needs a breakout day of drills to impress the team.

The 2016 NFL Scouting Combine begins this week in Indianapolis and will run through the weekend. Over 300 of the best college players in the nation have come to be scrutinized by NFL teams. They’ll participate in medical exams, aptitude tests and on-field drills to give teams an idea of which prospects to select in the 2016 NFL Draft in April.

The 49ers will send members of the organization to evaluate prospects at every position. The most important will likely be quarterback.

The 49ers are in the market for a quarterback. Make no mistakes about it. Whether the team decides to start either Colin Kaepernick or Blaine Gabbert in 2016, they’ll find a way to bring in at least one other quarterback for competition.

That quarterback could come in free agency but, in all likelihood, will be one of the team’s 12 draft picks in late April. The hot names at quarterback in the draft are Cal’s Jared Goff, North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz and University of Memphis’ Paxton Lynch.

The 49ers will have an opportunity to draft one of these three with their first pick of the draft. But what if they choose to pass?

University of Oregon quarterback Vernon Adams is gaining traction leading up to the 2016 Scouting Combine and NFL Draft. Adams’ participation in the 2016 East-West Shrine Game spurred the continuing momentum of his draft stock.  

As a late-round option, Adams will intrigue many teams. Because the 49ers, and many other teams, will have their eyes squarely on Adams at the combine, he’ll need to impress in a major way.

The top-tier quarterbacks are ranked highly for a reason. They possess the size and skill that teams look for in players when evaluating the position. In addition to the size requirements, they often have continued success as an example of their abilities.

Aside from falling out of the top-tier of quarterbacks, Adams’ has deficiencies that will certainly be cause for concern.

Primarily, Adams’ size is less-than-ideal for a prototypical quarterback. Players like the New Orleans Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees or Seattle Seahawks’ Russell Wilson are changing the narrative on quarterback size. But those players are generally considered the exception, not the rule.

Adams’ is small–he’s only 5’11 and 201 pounds–and he has small hands. In fact, when looking to compare Adams to Wilson, hand size might be the biggest difference of all between the two.

That fact might seem irrelevant if the guy can sling it but, as a player that improvises more than most, Adams’ small hands make it more difficult to control the ball throughout movement. Additionally, in bad weather games, large hands are helpful for quarterbacks battling elements like wind, rain and snow.

For comparison, Carolina Panthers’ quarterback and NFL Most Valuable Player Cam Newton has hands that measure at 9 7/8″.

That is a difference over an entire inch. In the NFL, that inch matters greatly.

In the red zone, much of Carolina’s offensive success is due to Newton being effective as a ball carrier. With massive, strong hands and a large frame, Newton is routinely able to push defenders into the end zone while extending the ball.

Adams’ physical stature and hand size make that type of play nearly impossible. Certainly, offenses have succeeded without having quarterbacks as short-yardage ball carriers but new head coach Chip Kelly’s offense will require that the quarterback is a threat as a runner.

Adams qualifies as a dual-threat quarterback but the size of his hands will give teams hesitation when weighing his skill relative to the risk associated with drafting him.

Despite his hand size, Adams is built for the kind of offense that Kelly will implement in San Francisco. The physical limitations may be just enough to push him down most teams’ boards, creating an opportunity for the 49ers to land Adams’ late–which would be an absolute steal. 

CBSSports’ Rob Rang and Dane Brugler recently offered their scouting report on Adams. Even some of Adams’ weaknesses could be seen as desirable factors in Kelly’s offense.

Adams only played one season at the University of Oregon. Prior to that, he played at Eastern Washington and managed to put up impressive stats. Whether the competition was less than NFL quality or not, Adams continually proves he belongs when given an opportunity.

Although Adams never had a chance to play for Kelly at Oregon, the 49ers new leader is surely familiar with Adams and his abilities. Kelly may be looking at Adams with the same type of excitement that current 49ers fans and draftniks are.

Remember when I said people are comparing Adams to Wilson and Brees? It happens often. Some things just line up well. Now, Adams has no game experience to justify being in the same group as those two, and he could realistically fail, but he flashes signs that excite fans.

The Seahawks have created a winning culture by exploiting the things that Wilson does best. Until this year, he was never asked to be much of a traditional pocket passer. The scheme flexibility that has allowed Wilson to succeed could be of major benefit to Adams if he finds a home in the NFL.

Kelly will have to convince San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke that Adams, despite his physical limitations, is still suited to run his offense at the NFL level.

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The first step for Adams is, of course, performing well at the 2016 Scouting Combine this week in Indianapolis. Adams will do just fine in all of the general athletic checks. He’s a smooth athlete with a dynamic ability to make plays.

The real test will come when he has to stand in a group with some of the other top quarterbacks in the class and throw alongside them. Wentz’ arm was on display at the Senior Bowl and Goff has been displaying impressive accuracy on throws all year long.

When Adams lines up to make throws like the deep out–widely considered one of the most difficult throws in the NFL–scouts and teams will be able to see how his arm stacks up to others. 

The timing between quarterbacks and wide receivers at the Scouting Combine is always a little off. Scouts expect that. They understand that the two positions require chemistry and timing that can’t be built in a matter of minutes. They do, however, expect to see quarterbacks work through mechanics of each throw in an efficient manner. 

Adams, for all of his ability to make plays out of the pocket, will have to show an ability to stand tall in a pocket and exhibit the mechanics necessary to succeed in the NFL.

The scenarios are controlled at the Scouting Combine but evaluators still expect to see clean work from the prospects.

When a quarterback takes a snap, scouts are looking to see that his body is aligned from his feet up and that his shoulders remain square while following through on his release. Adams, who improvises so well to make big plays, is still developing a consistent base as a prototypical passer.

If he demonstrates continual growth from the end of the season to the Shrine Game to the Scouting Combine, teams will know that he has coachable talent.

Adams will find himself in a talented group of big-armed and big-bodied quarterbacks that will make his size difference stick out like a sore thumb. That could be a hidden benefit to his week in Indianapolis. If Adams is able to put on an impressive display, in spite of his stature being considered a drawback, he’ll begin to quiet some of the talk about his inabilities.

Despite what some might say, there are benefits of the Scouting Combine that assist in the evaluation of prospects. While nobody suggests that the Combine is the final determination of a prospects’ success, it is an opportunity to see multiple players in a controlled setting. When comparing players, seeing them in the same environment seems logical. 

When speaking about another draft prospect, Bleacher Report’s Lead Draft Analyst Matt Miller gave a succinct answer to the benefits of film work related to the Scouting Combine.

Adams’ game film, however limited, shows an overwhelming ability to continually make plays. Is it always pretty? Not exactly. But if the 49ers have learned anything from Wilson and the Seahawks, it’s that a win is a win. And whether you like it or not, the Seahawks have found a way to win with Wilson.

Teams have already done the majority of their film work on prospects. Now, it’s seeing prospects live and determining whether what you’ve seen on film matches.  Adams specializes in improvisation and extending plays while under pressure. At the Combine, that skill doesn’t translate. There’s no drill to measure how well a quarterback can scramble.

He’ll have to throw his way into the conversation with the other names in this class.

Realistically, after an impressive Shrine Game and continued buzz leading up to the draft, he’ll likely be drafted sometime on the third day of the draft.

If he turns out to be a franchise quarterback in the mold of Wilson, the team drafting him will get a major bargain. At his potential value, almost all teams would be willing to take a late-round flier to see if he hits.

The 49ers may be one of a few teams eyeing Adams as a starter sooner rather than later. In that case, they’ll be hoping he performs well enough to erase doubts about his size and mechanics without skyrocketing his own stock.

Adams will have to continue his impressive run up to the 2016 NFL Draft with a breakout performance this week in Indianapolis. Another solid showing at the Scouting Combine and the 49ers might have to jump on Adams sooner than they expected.

Next: Who Will Be the 49ers Most-Improved Sophomore?

All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and ESPN Statistics unless otherwise indicated.