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| Mike Adams, NFL Combine, Screen Capture
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By Samuel Ingro
The Cleveland Browns recent track record of drafting Ohio State Buckeyes may not be the best, but the 2012 NFL Draft could put an end to all of that.
According to Adams himself at Media Day, the two teams that showed the most interest in him were coincidentally the same two fighting for RGIII, the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Browns.
The right side of the Browns' offensive line has been a patchwork quilt of sorts for the past few seasons, with the void most recently filled by a combination of Tony Pashos, Billy Yates, John St. Clair, and Floyd "Porkchop" Womack. None of which produced at a high level, leading one to believe that free agency is not the answer.
In 2007, the Browns struck gold on the left side of their line when they selected Joe Thomas in the first round. The 2009 draft saw former coach Eric Mangini picking Pro Bowl Center Alex Mack, and in the past two drafts Tom Heckert chose a pair of guards in Shawn Lauvao and Jason Pinkston. By simple deduction, the only spot on the line yet to be addressed is the right tackle spot.
The Browns have laid an offer on the table to the St. Louis Rams to acquire Robert Griffin III in the 2012 draft, the franchise signal caller that the team has fought to obtain since coming back into the NFL in 1999. That offer noticeably does not include the No. 22 overall pick they acquired from the Atlanta Falcons in the 2011 Draft.
By most draft projections before the NFL Combine, Ohio State left tackle Mike Adams was thought to be going just ahead of the No. 22 pick, slightly out of reach of Cleveland. However, with a poor Combine performance, Adams may have just stumbled backwards a few selections into the team's waiting hands.
A sub par combine may deter some fans, but most NFL scouts know that game speed and on-field performance are what really matters, and Adams proved time and time again that he can play the game better than most.
When Pro Bowl lineman Dermontti Dawson
was recently asked who impressed him most at the Combine, his answer was surprising. “The tackle from Ohio State (Mike Adams) looked good the other day,” he said. “I like his feet. A guy like that might be able to do a good job at left tackle or right tackle."
Take it from a Pro Bowler, the NFL isn't always about the numbers. Adams could very well help the Browns lock down the right tackle slot for the next decade alongside Thomas and Mack. Regardless of who is under center for the Browns this year, if they take the beating that Colt McCoy took last year, the team isn't going anywhere but backwards.
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