Why Undrafted?: Trey Adams, OT, Washington
By Charlie Campbell, @draftcampbell
Six years ago, we started a series of articles on why certain prospects went undrafted. In that series, I reach out to sources with NFL teams to find out why their organizations passed on drafting a given player, and/or, what were the reasons for other teams to pass on that prospect. We got a lot of positive reader feedback about the series, so we decided to expand in the genre to investigate why some prospects slid in the draft. Four years ago, we started the Why the Slide? series, and this year it is back. Feel free to email me requests for Why the Slide? and Why Undrafted? at [email protected]. I can’t promise to get to all of them, but I will do my best and definitely will respond to the email.
A few years ago, Washington offensive tackle Trey Adams was one of the highest-rated prospects on NFL team’s preseason watch list. Adams impressed evaluators with how he played in 2016, and they were comparing him to Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan when Lewan was coming out of Michigan in 2014. However, things went off the rails for Adams in 2017 when he tore an ACL. After deciding to return to Washington for 2018, he missed the majority of that season with a back injury. He returned to the field in 2019 and had a decent season, but he was not as impressive as he was before the injuries started. Still, some evaluators thought he could be a second-day pick in the 2020 NFL Draft given his skill set and the fact that some teams are willing to draft players with a history of injuries. Thus, it was surprising when Adams went undrafted.
Team sources say Adams was flunked medically by some teams, and that is the main reason he fell through the draft and went unselected. Another negative that hurt Adams was teams felt he had a bad body. A bad body does not evoke confidence that injuries will be a thing of the past. Thus, Adams had a lot working against him.
Adams signed with the Buffalo Bills after going undraftem and that was a great landing spot. Entering the 2020 NFL Draft, some felt Buffalo’s offensive line was one of the bigger need areas on the roster, yet the team did not draft a lineman, so Adams won’t have to battle a draft pick for positioning or lose out on a roster spot because the franchise wants to keep the investment made on a draftee. The Bills have a solid veteran offensive line, but could use some young developmental talent. Adams is in a great position to battle for a roster spot to be a swing-tackle backup at right and left tackle. If Adams stays healthy in the preseason and plays well, he has an excellent chance to stick with Buffalo, and if he makes the team as a backup, he could work his way onto the field. The Bills staff is willing to play late-round or undrafted players if they earn it, so Adams has a legit shot to make a NFL career for himself in Buffalo.
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