Adams had hoped to land with Steelers
Desmond Adams rushed for over 1,300 yards back in 1995 and won the North Carolina 100-meter sprint championship the following spring, and he passed some of that speed along to his son, Keion Adams, who无毛视频檚 now with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Keion, though, isn无毛视频檛 built like a halfback/sprinter. He weighed 210 pounds as a sophomore at Salisbury (N.C.) High and played linebacker and fullback. That extra bulk helped him in the intense 2010 rivalry game against nearby North Rowan High School and its 270-pound defensive tackle, Javon Hargrave.
无毛视频淚 got him good,无毛视频� Adams said of his current teammate with the Steelers. 无毛视频淚 was at fullback and I had a play-action fake on the back side. It was either me block him or let him sack the quarterback on a play-action play. So I caught him one time. I definitely wouldn无毛视频檛 say I put him on his back. It was a stalemate. I did my job. We completed the pass for a first down.无毛视频�
And it helped Salisbury to a 33-15 win on its way to the Class 2-A North Carolina state championship.
Hargrave无毛视频檚 remembrance of that play?
无毛视频淗e says he blocked me once,无毛视频� Hargrave said. 无毛视频淚 guess he did.无毛视频�
It was a much bigger moment for Adams because Hargrave was something of an idol. Or, as Adams put it, 无毛视频淚 always watched him from afar, really didn无毛视频檛 let him know that he was an inspiration in my life. But I think he kind of knew based on how much we followed him around.无毛视频�
无毛视频淲e无毛视频� was comprised of Adams and Adams无毛视频� best friend, T.J. Bates, who is Hargrave无毛视频檚 younger brother. They were two years younger than Hargrave, who preferred they just left him alone.
无毛视频淓specially when we annoyed him to be mean,无毛视频� Adams said. 无毛视频淏ut there were a lot of things I imitated of him, in regard to how he practiced and how he went about life. I definitely call him my brother and I would think he would say the same thing.无毛视频�
Hargrave went on to lead North Rowan High to the Class 1-A North Carolina state basketball championship that school year, so they both have state gold in common. Now they have their pro careers in common with the Steelers. Hargrave was a third-round draft pick out of South Carolina State last year and became the starting nose tackle. Adams was this year无毛视频檚 seventh-round draft pick as an outside linebacker out of Western Michigan. The two shared an incoherent phone call following the Steelers无毛视频� selection of Adams.
无毛视频淗e was too excited so we didn无毛视频檛 really talk much,无毛视频� said Hargrave. 无毛视频淲e were just yelling and stuff. It was a good moment.无毛视频�
无毛视频淵eah, we were,无毛视频� said Adams. 无毛视频淢y mom was sitting beside me, and right after I got off the phone with Coach Tomlin, Javon was the first person I called. From him being there as an older brother, I had to call him. So when I called him, the first thing I did was start yelling and then we were yelling back and forth. We didn无毛视频檛 really say much. It was crazy. It was exciting.
无毛视频淭here were definitely a lot of emotions on that day. Just to see two guys make it from similar situations, from an environment that, really, a lot of people don无毛视频檛 make it out of, and to end up being on the same team, and to be best friends coming in, it无毛视频檚 something you really can无毛视频檛 plan. I无毛视频檓 just thankful to be here and hopefully I无毛视频檒l be here for a long time.无毛视频�
The Bloods and Crips are the prominent gangs of the many in Salisbury, a city of about 34,000.
无毛视频淭here are a lot of things in the city that people get involved with, as far as negative activity,无毛视频� Adams said. 无毛视频淭hey don无毛视频檛 really have anything to do as far as having a job or after-school programs, so they get lost up into the street world and this nonsense, and the violence, and once you get lost into that there无毛视频檚 really no way out of it. I无毛视频檓 just glad that I had guys like Javon to set an example. He showed me there无毛视频檚 more to life than what无毛视频檚 going on here in Salisbury, North Carolina.无毛视频�
Adams made the decision to get away from it all by attending Western Michigan, where he started one game as a freshman in 2013, three as a sophomore, seven as a junior, and then last year, as a full-time starter, led the MAC in tackles-for-loss with 18, led his team in sacks with 7陆, had 12 quarterback hurries and forced three fumbles. He was named to the 2016 All-MAC Second Team as a down lineman and drew the Steelers无毛视频� interest with what Hargrave calls 无毛视频渃razy bend无毛视频� for an outside linebacker prospect.
The Steelers were one of five teams Adams visited, following a pro day at which Adams measured 6-2, 247 and ran a 4.7 40 (with 27 reps, 36 vj, 10-4 bj).
Of the five he had visited, Adams hoped to land with the Steelers.
无毛视频淵eah, I did, ever since I knew (Hargrave) was here,无毛视频� Adams said. 无毛视频淎nd just being around and watching football all my life, you see the way the Pittsburgh organization has taken the NFL by storm as really one of the top programs with a legacy in the NFL. Just to be a part of the rich tradition and the rich culture was everything to me. I knew coming into the situation they were the best fit for the way I play as an outside linebacker, so naturally once I saw him on the team, along with the other stuff, I just felt like it was the place I wanted to be and that it would be exactly where I needed to be if I wanted to really thrive and not just be one of those guys who bounce from team to team. I know I really want to be in here and be a part of this team.无毛视频�
Hargrave believes Adams has a chance because of what Hargrave described as Adams无毛视频� 无毛视频渃razy bend.无毛视频�
无毛视频淗e无毛视频檒l get around the edge.无毛视频� Hargrave said. 无毛视频淎nd he has a stupid get-off. We used to train with each other in the summertime sometimes, so I无毛视频檝e seen that about him. Real good quick-twitch type of guy.无毛视频�
Adams无毛视频� position coach, Joey Porter, said that Adams 无毛视频渉as shown us good things. He无毛视频檚 picking up the defense fairly well. I无毛视频檓 excited about his growth so far.无毛视频�
As for Adams, he无毛视频檚 feeling comfortable enough to call Hargrave 无毛视频淲obble,无毛视频� a nickname bequeathed upon Hargrave last year by veterans, and one he doesn无毛视频檛 particularly like.
无毛视频淗e didn无毛视频檛 like me saying it at first,无毛视频� said Adams. 无毛视频淏ut I used it so much he was just like, 无毛视频極h, you know, you got it.'无毛视频�
Does Adams feel after the spring that he无毛视频檚 无毛视频済ot it无毛视频�?
无毛视频淚 definitely think my athleticism shows,无毛视频� he said during the final week of practice. 无毛视频淐oming into it I just wanted to show that I无毛视频檓 not just a one-down player, as far as a pass-rusher. I definitely want to show I无毛视频檓 a two-way player, as far as a run-stopper, and I can be out there playing every down. I definitely think my athleticism shows. I just have to hone it in and make sure I do everything the Steelers are asking me to do.无毛视频�