He played college football for the LSU Tigers, and was selected by the New York Jets sixth overall in the 2017 NFL draft.

In his senior year, Hebron finished 8–4 on the season, advancing to the UIL 5A Division II Area final at AT&T Stadium, where they lost 42–21 to Cedar Hill.

On May 4, 2017, Adams attended LSU's pro day and opted to run the 40-yard dash (4.33s) and was able to improve on his combine numbers significantly.

Sports Illustrated, DraftScout.com, Pro Football Focus, and ESPN ranked Adams the top safety in the draft.

[21][22][23] Adams entered training camp competing against Calvin Pryor and fellow rookie Marcus Maye for a role as a starting safety.

[25] Adams made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the Jets season-opener versus the Buffalo Bills and recorded five combined tackles and deflected a pass in a 21–12 loss.

[26] On September 24, Adams recorded two solo tackles, broke up a pass, and made his first career sack on quarterback Jay Cutler during a 20–6 win against the Miami Dolphins.

[27] In Week 17, he collected a season-high 10 combined tackles (three solo) and a pass deflection in the Jets' 26–6 loss to the New England Patriots.

[28] Adams finished his rookie season in 2017 with 83 combined tackles (63 solo), six pass deflections, and two sacks in 16 games and 16 starts.

[39] On September 18, 2019, Adams was fined $21,000 for a hit he made on Baker Mayfield on Monday Night Football against the Cleveland Browns in Week 3.

[46] During Week 11 versus the Washington Redskins, Adams finished with a career high three sacks as the Jets won 34–17.

[49] At the end of the season, he was named to his second consecutive Pro Bowl and was honored with his first career First-team AP selection.

[52] On April 17, 2020, it was reported that Adams would skip the entirety of the voluntary virtual offseason program without a contract extension.

[54] On June 12, 2020, Adams replied to an Instagram post stating that the Jets were "A lot of talk no action" regarding his desire for a contract extension.

Adams also voiced his displeasure with how general manager Joe Douglas treated him during talks of a potential contract extension.

During the game, Adams led the Seahawks with 12 tackles (8 solo) and recorded his first sack of the season on Matt Ryan in the 38–25 win.

[61] In the following week's game against the Patriots on Sunday Night Football, Adams recorded nine tackles and sacked Cam Newton once during the 35–30 win.

[64] In Week 12 against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football, Adams led the team with nine tackles and recorded one sack on Carson Wentz during the 23–17 win.

[69] Adams suffered a torn labrum during the Seahawks Week 13 win over the San Francisco 49ers, and was placed on injured reserve on December 10, 2021.

[70][71] During the Seahawks Week 1 win against the Denver Broncos, Adams suffered a torn quad tendon in the second quarter that ended his season.