Gaines Adams Comes from Humble Beginnings to the Top of NFL Draft Boards

With the NFL draft coming up in April, it's always nice to take a look at some of the guys who will be household names. One of those names that you're sure to hear during the first round of draft day is Gaines Adams. The defensive end out of Clemson has a unique story that won't be matched by many on the draft board, but he's used to beating the odds. Some might say that Adams' story is a how-to on making something out of nothing. He's a living, breathing example of the American dream.

Adams now stands as a defensive end at just over six feet and five inches. He's listed officially at 257 pounds. It wasn't always that way, though. Just six years ago, Adams was nowhere near any NFL draft board, or any college recruiter's board for that matter. You see, Adams' football background is anything but ordinary. His high school football was played at tiny Cambridge Academy in the medium sized town of Greenwood, South Carolina. His school was so small that they had to play eight-man football. Not surprisingly, Adams' Cougars won the state championship in his senior season. He wasn't a defensive terror, though. Adams was a small wide receiver, standing at only about 215 pounds. During that senior season, he had well over 2,000 receiving yards and more than 25 touchdowns.

From there, Adams had to work hard to get to the point where NFL teams considered him a top commodity. Since he played for such a small school, not even a small college would take a chance on him. You could count his number of scholarship offers on no hands when he left high school. No one wanted this kid who had to play eight man football. So he did what any guy in his position would do. He rolled up his sleeves, headed to prep school in Virginia, and turned himself into a quarterback tackling machine. At Fork Union Prep School, Adams got stronger and faster. He also packed on 25 pounds. Still, he didn't have a ton of offers coming from that school. He had his heart set on the University of North Carolina, but the Tarheels pulled his offer out from under him on signing day. He was left with Clemson. North Carolina's loss ended up being Clemson's gain and it worked out well for Adams, too.

Adams left Clemson as a consensus All-American and the ACC's defensive player of the year. He sits second on the school's all-time sack list, behind only William Perry. At last month's NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, some scouts were surprised that Adams decided to run the forty yard dash. Players with lofty draft status like him normally skip the physical aspects of the combine. That's not Adams' style, though. He's been proving himself for the better part of seven years. Why should the combine be any different? The result of that workout was favorable, as the massive athlete ran a 4.64 forty that was better than any other defensive end. He even outran some of the wide receivers at the combine, a fact that made him smile.

When draft day comes around, Gaines Adams will likely go to Arizona with the fifth overall pick. He'll take it. Coming from the humble roots at Cambridge Academy, being selected in that position is more of a fantasy than anything else. It's a fitting payoff for the hard working Adams though, who continues to be a living embodiment of the American dream.