|
|
Adam Anderson NFL Draft Profile
|
Adam Anderson Scouting ReportAnderson's combine the speed, explosion, and lateral agility to change direction at will, and you have a pass rusher who is practically unstoppable based on pure athletic ability. Anderson already has pass-rush moves in his toolbox. In the tape studied, he demonstrated impressive swim and spin moves to overcome offensive linemen and impact the quarterback. His lean frame also allows Anderson to get underneath his man when rushing around the outside track. Additionally, he had reps where he moved the pocket with a surprisingly powerful initial strike. Anderson can rush the passer from multiple alignments. The Georgia OLB has played with his hand in the dirt and stood up over the tackle. Furthermore, he has rushed from a wide alignment as well as being used as a quarterback spy. He can rush around the outside track, but his lateral agility means he can cut inside to penetrate gaps.
|
Areas for ImprovementAnderson has the potential to be one of the best pass rushers in the 2022 NFL Draft. Still, it’s time to pump the brakes and look at some genuine areas of concern from his scouting report. It seems ludicrous to describe a player who has 34 college football games under his belt as inexperienced. However, the fact of it is Anderson has played just 337 career snaps. He’s never played more than 130 snaps in a season. He has essentially been a situational pass rusher for the Bulldogs. It remains to be seen how impactful he can be down after down. As a result, he is far from a complete evaluation. There is plenty of projection involved. This is particularly applicable for his ability against the run — he has just 60 snaps against the run in his career. Although Anderson has shown some football intelligence in reading the run in that limited exposure, it’s not enough to confidently evaluate his ability to set the edge or routinely stop the run. His size compounds those concerns. At 230 pounds, he’s exceptionally light. He’s likely to need to add mass to compete at the next level. After his initial punch, he doesn’t have the strength to overcome bigger offensive linemen. He’ll also need to work on his handwork — there were examples where he could not disengage from his blocker.
|
Adam Anderson Career at SchoolAnderson had every right to be excited about playing for the Bulldogs, a consistent producer of pass-rush talent to the NFL Draft. However, a deep, talented defensive locker room has its downside for a player hoping to gain substantial playing time as a freshman. Although limited in his snaps, the Georgia OLB saw action in 14 games. On his debut, he flashed his pass-rush prowess with a tackle for loss against Austin Peay. Moreover, Anderson registered a tackle for loss as part of a career-high 5 tackles against Georgia Tech. He tallied 16 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, half a sack, and 4 quarterback pressures in a solid freshman campaign. Anderson’s sophomore campaign was a similar story. Once again, he appeared in 14 games with limited snaps. For the second consecutive season, he showed flashes of dominance for the Bulldogs’ defense. The Georgia OLB tallied his first career sack against Murray State, while a third of his total tackles in 2019 came against Baylor, including a second career sack. Last season was the best indicator to date of how dangerous Anderson can be. Ironically, given the disruption of the 2020 college football season, the Georgia native put in the most disruptive performances of his career as he obliterated offensive lines at every available opportunity. Against Auburn, Anderson amassed 6 quarterback pressures and 2 sacks as he tamed the Tigers’ quarterback. His performance was picture perfect in the Peach Bowl, tallying another 2 sacks. Anderson finished second on the team in sacks (6.5) and QB pressures (24) last season. With Azeez Ojulari departed to the NFL, the expectation is that Anderson will be the premier pass rusher for the Bulldogs this fall. It will be his best opportunity to prove that he can be a consistent pass-rush presence instead of just an exciting situational piece. If he can prove that he can be impactful in all phases of defense, there’s every possibility that Anderson is a legitimate contender at the top of the 2022 NFL Draft. |
Adam Anderson NFL Draft Player ProfileAnderson is currently facing a rape charge in the state of Georgia. His evaluation as a draft prospect is secondary to these charges and his NFL assessment will be paused until the legal process is allowed to play out.
|
 |