Q&A with New Packers Wide Receiver Davante Adams

The second-round selection of the Packers discusses his play-making ability and what it will take to make it in the NFL.

Cheesehead TV was at the NFL Combine, where Packers second-round selection Davante Adams met with the media.

Here's what the new Green Bay wide receiver had to say:

Question: How deep is this year's draft class at wide receiver?

Adams: "I already knew going into it that there were a bunch of gifted guys that are here, even that aren't considered maybe first- or second-round guys. I think they might even slip into the first round depending on how the Combine goes. There's a lot of talented guys everywhere. I'm excited to be around them."

Question: How do you stack up to the other wide receivers?

Adams: "Obviously, I feel like I'm one of the best … at wide receiver. It doesn't really matter what I think. It matters what the GMs and NFL coaches think."

Question: What is something we may not now about your college quarterback, Derek Carr?

Adams: "It's pretty much out there in the media already, but he's a real good guy. He looks kind of like a … I don't know, he comes off as kind of like a … I don't know how to explain it. He has a really good personality. He's a guy whose spirit keeps everybody up all the time. You might see the part of him where he looks like a leader all the time. But he'll come to me even and say, 'I need a pick-me-up right here; I'm not feeling too good about this.' Whether it's life or on the field. He's human just like the rest of us."

Question: Why did you decide to come out early for the draft?

Adams: "For the most part, I just felt that I was NFL ready. Or I know I'm NFL ready. I feel like I've done everything I can do to prove to NFL coaches and whoever else is in charge that I'm ready for the next step and put up some pretty good numbers this past season and the season before that."

Question: What is your strongest attribute?

Adams: "I'd probably say my play-making ability."

Question: What NFL wide receiver do you compare yourself to?

Adams: "I'd say, um … tough question. I think I'm a mixture of guys. I like Brandon Marshall's game. He's a receiver that can run. I like Megatron. Obviously, I don't want to step on any toes saying I compare myself to one of of the best players in the NFL. So I'd definitely say I model my game after those type of guys."

Question: How do you reflect on your time at Fresno State?

Adams: "The records don't mean anything to me. … Derek and the coaching staff trust me to produce for the team, and that's what it came down for the most part. Just going out there and, I don't like to get tackles. So I just run around as much as I can and try to get in the end zone. And I got in there a few times. So if that means setting records, that's great that I get to be mentioned with some of the best in Fresno State history. But the numbers don't mean as much to me as getting two conference championships back to back like we did and moving forward and seeing how excited my teammates are when we get a big win.”

Question: Why did you attend Fresno State?

Adams: "Initially because I was going to play basketball and football there. That obviously didn't work out with the amount of time I had to dedicate to both with them kind of overlapping during the season. I redshirted my first year, didn't know exactly how things were going to go the following year with Coach (Tim) DeRuyter coming in. Everything ended up working out and ended up having a lot of fun."

Question: Did Fresno State have to promise you'd play basketball to get you there?

Adams: "No, there was never a promise. It was my decision. I wanted to do it. No one told me to do it. It was something they were interested in and I was definitely interested in because I was always a hooper growing up. And I didn't play football in high school until my junior year. So I wanted to take both of them to the next level, and I wasn't excited about giving basketball up so early."

Question: What do you tell NFL teams?

Adams: "They're going to get, in my eyes, the best receiver in this draft class, a very hard worker and a guy who really loves the game. I'm extremely passionate about what I do. And I think I definitely shows when I get out there on the field."

Question: How does your basketball background help?

Adams: "It makes it really easy for me to go up and win those 50-50 balls. I'm so used to grabbing boards and stuff like that, so it makes it kind of second nature. When the ball's in the air, I just go up and grab it. With my leaping ability I know no one's going to go up and get it over me. That's why we were so effective at the goal line on fades this past year. Derek trusted me pretty much to throw the ball up and go grab it."

Question: How did you get so many opportunities at Fresno State?

Adams: "It's not too bad playing your first season and catching 102 balls and then, what, 14 touchdowns, and then 131 catches and 24. You can't really explain how it feels, actually."

Question: What's your best spot at wide receiver?

Adams: "I don't have a more comfortable spot. They're all equal to me. I have a lot of different weapons in my arsenal."

Question: What other wide receivers stand out in your class?

Adams: "There's a bunch of dudes. I mean, there's guys that maybe you haven't even heard of that are here and are great receivers. Obviously you have the dudes that are probably top of the board, guys like Sammy Watkins, obviously, Mike Evans, Brandin Cooks, Paul Richardson from Colorado, Robert Herron, from Wyoming, he's a great receiver. Isaiah Burse, obviously, he's a guy that's overlooked from my school. There's talent that's going to fall all everywhere in the draft."

Photo: Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams by Brian Carriveau.

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Comments (6)

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lucky953's picture

May 09, 2014 at 11:18 pm

Wow! I like this guy's perspective on the game. He's confident, talented, and really young. He's going to catch a pretty good number of balls and score a pretty good number of TDs in GB. I love this pick.

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MarkinMadison's picture

May 10, 2014 at 05:35 am

I hoped the Packers would address a different position in the 2nd (and the way the 3rd turned out, I really wish they had), and as Adams put it, there is WR talent all over the place but jeez this guy is a breath of fresh air. Too many WRs that are too full of themselves. The production is crazy. And the last time TT missed on a WR or TE taken in the first three rounds was Terrance Murphy 2005.

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TKWorldWide's picture

May 10, 2014 at 06:12 am

And that was mostly due to injury.

I suspect that somewhere in their evaluation recipe, GB red flags or avoids diva types at wr. (Nelson, JJ, Cobb, Driver) but not ENTIRELY (GJ85? and JMike at TE?)

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Nikko Manamikko's picture

May 10, 2014 at 06:36 am

Greg Jennings never revealed himself to be a diva until his last year with GB. It definitely surprised me and I'm sure many other fans because until that point he had seemed like a really humble, hardworking, team first guy. Not to say he's not hardworking.

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HankScorpio's picture

May 10, 2014 at 07:29 am

I think the thing with Jennings was all about money. Money does funny things to human beings.

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4thand1's picture

May 10, 2014 at 07:40 am

It was all his sister's fault.

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