National Football League

Jamal Adams wants to make NFL draft history

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 6:07 p.m. ET

Sports Illustrated, Draft Season/Sports Illustrated

If anyone in this year's NFL draft is prepared for the pressure and expectations that come with being a top-10 pick, it's Jamal Adams. His father George was a first-round selection by the Giants in 1985, and his alma mater LSU has an unparalleled reputation for churning out NFL-ready players, especially defensive backs. That careful grooming hasn't curbed his drive, though: He wants to be the first safety off the board, he wants to go in the top five picks, and then he wants to make it worth the while of whichever team spends its most precious off-season commodity to get him.

On the second episode of Draft Season's second year, SI digs deep on Adams to chronicle the making of a sure-thing first-rounder. In-depth interviews with Jamal’s family and mentors, as well as former LSU coach Les Miles and two-time Super Bowl champion Ryan Clark, reveal the big plays that put him on the national radar and the pedigree that has readied him for professional football.

Draft Season is back for a second season to take you behind the scenes of the crazy and fascinating world of the NFL draft. Each pick is a player. Each player has a story. Those stories will be told over the next month, all the way up until the first team officially goes on the clock on April 27. You can subscribe to Draft Season on iTunes or on SoundCloud to get each new episode as it is released.