Isaiah Adams is an Arizona Cardinal.
Arizona selected the Illinois offensive lineman with the seventh pick of the third round, No. 71 overall, in the NFL draft on Friday night.
Adams, of Ajax, Ont., was the first Canadian selected in this year’s draft. He was a two-year starter at Illinois, serving as a captain in 2023.
He made 25 straight starts at Illinois (14 games at left guard, 10 games at right tackle, one game at left tackle). He earned third-team All-Big Ten honours in 2022 and was an All-Big Ten honourable mention in 2023.
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Adams was a versatile performer at Illinois, but the NFL Network’s draft guru, Daniel Jeremiah, feels the Canadian is a better fit at guard in the NFL.
“Playing inside, he’s more comfortable in there and that’s where his future lies,” Jeremiah said.
The six-foot-four, 302-pound Adams participated in both the Senior Bowl and NFL combine. He began his collegiate career in Wilfrid Laurier before transferring to Garden City Community College, where he was a 2021 All-America first team selection.
Adams faced prime competition at Illinois, which plays in the highly touted Big Ten Conference. But in January he told The Canadian Press the biggest thing he learned there was the importance of preparation.
“The biggest lesson I got was confidence comes from hard work,” he said. “Maybe in years before, I thought the most talented guys are the most confident guys.
“When I got to Illinois, I really was trained by a very good O-line coach [Bart Miller] and Bret Bielema was a really good head coach who really hammered on confidence coming from your hard work. That’s something I will always remember.
“It doesn’t matter how talented you are, it’s the hard work you put in that breeds confidence.”
Earlier this month, Adams was listed atop the CFL Scouting Bureau’s list of the top-20 prospects for the league’s 2024 draft, which will be held Tuesday night.
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Football fans boarded the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel Bus early Thursday morning to be a part of Detroit’s first ever NFL Draft. The CBC’s Chris Ensing caught up with some fans on their way to the city.
