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鈥檚 now with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Keion, though, isn鈥檛 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.
鈥淚 got him good,鈥� Adams said of his current teammate with the Steelers. 鈥淚 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鈥檛 say I put him on his back. It was a stalemate. I did my job. We completed the pass for a first down.鈥�
And it helped Salisbury to a 33-15 win on its way to the Class 2-A North Carolina state championship.
Hargrave鈥檚 remembrance of that play?
鈥淗e says he blocked me once,鈥� Hargrave said. 鈥淚 guess he did.鈥�
It was a much bigger moment for Adams because Hargrave was something of an idol. Or, as Adams put it, 鈥淚 always watched him from afar, really didn鈥檛 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.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥� was comprised of Adams and Adams鈥� best friend, T.J. Bates, who is Hargrave鈥檚 younger brother. They were two years younger than Hargrave, who preferred they just left him alone.
鈥淓specially when we annoyed him to be mean,鈥� Adams said. 鈥淏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.鈥�
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鈥檚 seventh-round draft pick as an outside linebacker out of Western Michigan. The two shared an incoherent phone call following the Steelers鈥� selection of Adams.
鈥淗e was too excited so we didn鈥檛 really talk much,鈥� said Hargrave. 鈥淲e were just yelling and stuff. It was a good moment.鈥�
鈥淵eah, we were,鈥� said Adams. 鈥淢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鈥檛 really say much. It was crazy. It was exciting.
鈥淭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鈥檛 make it out of, and to end up being on the same team, and to be best friends coming in, it鈥檚 something you really can鈥檛 plan. I鈥檓 just thankful to be here and hopefully I鈥檒l be here for a long time.鈥�
The Bloods and Crips are the prominent gangs of the many in Salisbury, a city of about 34,000.
鈥淭here are a lot of things in the city that people get involved with, as far as negative activity,鈥� Adams said. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 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鈥檚 really no way out of it. I鈥檓 just glad that I had guys like Javon to set an example. He showed me there鈥檚 more to life than what鈥檚 going on here in Salisbury, North Carolina.鈥�
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鈥� interest with what Hargrave calls 鈥渃razy bend鈥� 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.
鈥淵eah, I did, ever since I knew (Hargrave) was here,鈥� Adams said. 鈥淎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.鈥�
Hargrave believes Adams has a chance because of what Hargrave described as Adams鈥� 鈥渃razy bend.鈥�
鈥淗e鈥檒l get around the edge.鈥� Hargrave said. 鈥淎nd he has a stupid get-off. We used to train with each other in the summertime sometimes, so I鈥檝e seen that about him. Real good quick-twitch type of guy.鈥�
Adams鈥� position coach, Joey Porter, said that Adams 鈥渉as shown us good things. He鈥檚 picking up the defense fairly well. I鈥檓 excited about his growth so far.鈥�
As for Adams, he鈥檚 feeling comfortable enough to call Hargrave 鈥淲obble,鈥� a nickname bequeathed upon Hargrave last year by veterans, and one he doesn鈥檛 particularly like.
鈥淗e didn鈥檛 like me saying it at first,鈥� said Adams. 鈥淏ut I used it so much he was just like, 鈥極h, you know, you got it.'鈥�
Does Adams feel after the spring that he鈥檚 鈥済ot it鈥�?
鈥淚 definitely think my athleticism shows,鈥� he said during the final week of practice. 鈥淐oming into it I just wanted to show that I鈥檓 not just a one-down player, as far as a pass-rusher. I definitely want to show I鈥檓 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.鈥�