As a senior in 1997, he received All-America honors, was named the Big Ten offensive lineman of the Year, and was a semi-finalist for the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Award.

[3] He was expected to go higher,[4] but questions about his partially deaf right ear and his athletic ability made teams wary of his potential value.

He became a 10-game starter at right guard as a rookie, and as a second-year pro was moved to left tackle, where he played at a dependable level, but never distinguished himself.

[5] On November 10, 1999, Duane Clemons was fined $7,500 for intentionally punching Adams in the testes[6] following an interception two days earlier during a Monday Night Football game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Parcells made re-signing him a priority, which became a turning point in his career, that saw his performance improved to a level that earned him five Pro Bowl selections.

He replaced starting right tackle Willie Colon, who suffered a season-ending injury (torn Achilles tendon).

Adams's move to Pittsburgh landed him in Super Bowl XLV, where was a starter as the Steelers lost to the Green Bay Packers.