With the issues surrounding the Cardinals Offensive Tackle position over the past decade it is imperative that the Cardinals look to address the position this offseason. Brandon Keith is a free agent and the large cap hit that Levi Brown holds coming into the 2012 season is not going to be carried by the team, so unless a contract restructure appears likely, he may not be with the team much longer either. With the position lacking quality and depth the first round could be a spot that the Cardinals look to to find a player who can hold down one of the spots for close to a decade.
Mike Adams
Position: Offensive Tackle
Height: 6-8
Weight: 320
School: Ohio State
Projection: First Round
Background: Adams came into Ohio State as a highly recruited offensive tackle with outstanding size. The number one tackle of his recruiting class he appeared in games for the Buckeyes in both his freshman and sophomore years before becoming a full-time starter at Left Tackle as a Junior. He was involved in the Ohio State scandal at the end of his Junior season that forced him to miss the first five games of his 2012 Senior Season. He started the last 23 games of his career at Ohio State.
Strengths: Adams is a big and imposing force at offensive tackle, he fills his big 6-8 frame well and he is long and lean. Is a quality drive blocker in the running game and is capable of completely dominating his opposition on the ground. Has a quick and strong initial punch that can jolt a defender backwards. He is very tough to disengage from; once he has his hands on a defender it is rare that they make a play. Is good in pass protection against strong ends, bends at the knees and has a strong and stable base that makes it tough to get into him and bullrush him backwards into the QB.
Weaknesses: His feet are heavy and footwork can get sloppy at times. He struggles against a quality outside speed rush. He can tend to overcommit to the outside if defensive end lines up wider than usual opening himself up to inside rushing lanes. Is not agile or quick and can lose balance when he needs to move quickly, once he is beaten he struggles to recover.
Overall: Adams has an imposing physical presence on the football field and even in the Big 10 he often looked like a man among boys. However he can struggle in pass protection and is often confused if teams line up an overload blitz on his side of the line that ends up with him blocking neither the end nor the blitzer. If he works on his agility and cleans up his technique a little he could be a solid left tackle, but at this time seems more suited to playing on the right hand side in the NFL where his dominant run blocking will be best utilized.
Adams is more than likely going to be available when the Cardinals pick in the first round, and it is possible that Arizona could trade down into the late teens or early twenties, pick up an additional third or second round pick and still grab Adams. He is unlikely to ever be the future of the blindside in Arizona, but he is a big tackle who fits the size criteria that Russ Grimm seems to have attached himself to in his time here. His run blocking skills should also serve to endear himself to the Cardinals staff, especially on the right hand side of the line and while he may be a reach at 13, he could very well be in play.
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Quick apology -- Khodder wrote this and I posted it for him. I forgot to put it under his username. He did the film work, he did the evals. It is his work. Sorry I posted under my name first. --Jess