Rookies frequently report after their first NFL practices that the biggest adjustment they’ll have to make is getting accustomed to the speed of professional football. But Panthers rookie receiver Joe Adams doesn’t see it that way.
Adams, a fourth-round draft pick out of Arkansas who says he has run a 4.25-second 40-yard dash, told Panthers.com that he has no trouble adjusting to NFL speed.
“It’s not overwhelming at all. I played in the SEC, where guys are pretty much this fast,” Adams said. “Now, they’re probably not this big.”
Football in the SEC isn’t really as fast as football in the NFL, but Adams certainly showed in the SEC that he’s fast enough for the NFL. He’s best known for an incredible punt return against Tennessee in which he dodged six tacklers before breaking into the clear and turning on the jets.
“A lot of people come up and ask me if I’m the guy that returned those punts,” Adams said. “And every time someone realizes who I am, they always bring up Tennessee. . . . That probably was the craziest punt return I’ve ever had. I remember breaking all those tackles and all the fans screaming. Afterwards, I went home and watched it on highlights. It was on ESPN for a couple of weeks. I was pretty amazed at the things that I did.”
So Adams is amazed at his own speed. But not the speed of the NFL.