How Cardinals Bolstered O-Line with Isaiah Adams

The Cardinals address the hole in their interior offensive line.

Mar 3, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Illinois offensive lineman Isaiah Adams (OL01) during the 2024 / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

ARIZONA -- With the 71st pick in the 2024 draft, and only the second of Arizona's four third-round picks, the Arizona Cardinals selected G Isaiah Adams out of Illinois.

Adams is a beefy interior offensive lineman, measuring in at 6-foot-4, 315 pounds, but once again not lacking in athleticism and adaptability. It is a bit puzzling to see the Cardinals choose Adams over a prospect like Kansas State's Cooper Beebe,

Adams is a Canadian transplant, somewhat on the older side of NFL prospects at 23. He spent five seasons in college football, although only the final two of those were as a part of a Division I program at Illinois. However, in those two years, Adams started all 25 games that the Illini played.

Sound familiar?

He's able to utilize his athleticism to gather momentum, without a decrease in power as a blocker, but his agility gives him a potential to be excellent in pass protection. He lacks a bit of stability, being that he isn't the biggest or sturdiest lineman out there, but he doesn't falter to quick moves and has a natural ability to mirror a pass-rusher's maneuvers.

It's not necessarily the pick Cardinals fans might have expected to address the black hole at the left guard spot, but it's clear that GM Monti Ossenfort, head coach Jonathan Gannon and offensive coordinator Drew Petzing like a guy with potential that they can coach into excellence.