Davante Adams, one of the gems of the 2014 draft, is now fulfilling his lifelong dream of playing for the Las Vegas Raiders. A native of Redwood City, California, Adams grew up cheering for the Raiders, then located in Oakland. His transition to play closer to his family comes after eight seasons with the Green Bay Packers. However, according to Adams, he did not think those years in Green and Gold would even happen as he thought he would be drafted by the Carolina Panthers.
Davante Adams Believed He Would Be Drafted by the Panthers
In a recent interview, Davante Adams spoke about the 2014 NFL Draft and how it went down differently than expected:
“I was projected to go first, second, third round–but there was a lot of teams that were interested in me in the first. So had the ESPN camera crews come to the crib. Everybody there. Had a bunch of my family at the house. My mom’s small apartment–we packin’ that thing out. Right out the gate, I keep hearing all these names called. Bunch of receivers. It’s a lot of receivers going early and I don’t hear my name. And I’m like, ‘Okay, this is weird.’ Couple of teams said they were interested in me, picking not even receivers. So now I’m like, now I’m getting nervous. And we get to the end, I think at 28, I thought I was going to the Carolina Panthers. That’s who talked to me the most. They picked Kelvin Benjamin. I took my earpiece out. Everything. I’m telling people to leave.”
It Worked Out for Adams
At the onset, it appeared as if the Carolina Panthers had made the right choice. In 2014, Kelvin Benjamin had 73 receptions for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns as a rookie. However, it was his most productive season and his numbers declined. It did not help that he had a very public feud with star quarterback Cam Newton. Benjamin ended up playing just four seasons in the NFL. He last played for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018.
Davante Adams, on the other hand, has been one of the best wide receivers in the NFL for the past five years. He ended his years in Green Bay with 669 receptions, 8,121 yards, and 73 touchdowns.
The Panthers should be kicking themselves.
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