New York Giants: Andrew Adams Predicted As Future Pro Bowler

New York Giants safety Andrew Adams was selected by Pro Football Focus as the team’s likliest Pro Bowler in the future.

The New York Giants defense has done a total 180 from 2015. After being the worst defense in the NFL last season, the Giants are now one of the best defensive units in the NFL in 2016. The big money spent in the offseason is a big reason for that.

The Giants spent a ton to help improve the talent on defense. Olivier Vernon, Damon Harrison, and Janoris Jenkins cost almost $200 million combined. But free agents are not the only ingredient needed to build a strong defense; you need to find some hidden gems during the draft as well.

The Giants look to have hit on Landon Collins with their second round pick in 2015. He has morphed into a difference maker in the secondary in his sophomore campaign. Finding a partner at safety has not been so easy for the Giants.

They have hoped one of their young players would step up and perform next to Collins. Nat Berhe, Cooper Taylor, and Mykelle Thompson were thought to help last season, but all suffered injuries. This year the Giants selected Darian Thompson in the third round hoping he would be the Robin to Collins’ Batman.

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Like the youngsters the Giants were going to rely on last season, D. Thompson was beset by injuries. That is how the Giants have come across a true gem in undrafted free agent Andrew Adams.

Adams has about as bad an introduction you could have. Against the Washington Redskins, Adams committed a bad personal foul penalty on a punt in which the Giants blocked. They would have been set up well field position wise but it was undone by Adams’ penalty.

It was the kind of play that an undrafted player could lose their roster spot over. But, the Giants were suffering from a ton of injuries and held onto Adams. They are lucky they did as Adams has turned into an extremely useful player for the Giants.

Adams has taken over as the starting safety next to Collins and has outperformed any expectations set. He has 44 tackles this season to go along with one interception and five passes defended. His outlook is bright as he has helped turn the Giants defense around.

So bright that Pro Football Focus believes he can be a Pro Bowl player down the road. They compiled a list of players they believe can be future Pro Bowlers, choosing one player per team; Adams was their selection from the Giants.

Here is what they had to say about Adams.

"Third-round pick Darian Thompson was supposed to solve the Giants’ issue at free safety, but his injury opened the door for Adams, an undrafted rookie free agent who has been excellent over his 676 snaps. He is PFF’s 15th-ranked coverage safety, with a grade of 82.7. With Landon Collins so much better in the box, this secondary could be special."

It doesn’t get much better than that. Having an undrafted rookie who was lucky to make the roster end up as the 15th ranked coverage safety in the NFL is exactly what the Giants needed. Collins excels near the line of scrimmage, so finding a player that is capable of dropping back into coverage has been a godsend.

With Collins able to play to his strengths the Giants defense has taken a major step forward. Adams has provided him that opportunity and now the Giants have plenty of building blocks on their defensive backfield.

Next: Four New York Giants Are Named To The Pro Bowl

Adams, D. Thompson and 2016 first round pick Eli Apple could be patrolling the Giants secondary for many seasons to come along with Collins. This grouping has a chance to make things happen with veterans Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Janoris Jenkins also in the fold.

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