ESPN continued its release of position rankings based on the opinions of NFL execs, coaches and scouts on Wednesday and Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams made the cut, as expected.
However, Adams is moving in the wrong direction from where he was last season. Per ESPN, Adams finished as the No. 5 wide receiver on the list, three spots lower than where he was in 2023. The highest ranking Adams received from a voter was No. 3, but at least one voter didn't have him ranked at all.
Adams' fall isn't exactly shocking after he saw a dip in production last season, but it was not his fault. Not only did he have to deal with shoddy quarterback play, the Raiders also made a midseason play-caller change after Josh McDaniels was fired.
Even still, Adams managed to break 100 catches and tallied 1,144 yards, which was quite impressive when you consider the circumstances.
"He's still a blue-chipper," an NFL personnel evaluator said in the article. "Still can win on the outside and get you tough yards. But you wonder what you're getting from him next year with the quarterback situation unsettled."
Despite the aforementioned context we provided, one coach who was part of the rankings put at least some blame on Adams.
"Still really good but failed to make a few plays I've seen him make and it seemed he was playing through a few nicks and bruises at the end," an AFC offensive coach said.
It's funny that the AFC coach mentions "nicks and bruises" because Adams was seen ranting on the sideline during an episode of "Receiver" about how he was taking more hits than ever during the 2023 campaign.
"I gotta get the f--- out of here before I lose my f------ life," Adams said. "I ain't never been hit this many f------ times in my career. Every game I get f----- up."
While there will be some out there questioning whether or not Adams is on the decline, we saw more than enough last season to believe he has plenty left in the tank. If he can get better quarterback play in 2024, he'll be just fine.
