Montravius Adams (born July 24, 1995) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Auburn Tigers The Auburn Tigers are the athletic teams representing Auburn University, a public four-year university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. The Auburn Tigers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) a ...

Early life

Adams attended Dooly County High School in

Vienna, Georgia The city of Vienna () is the county seat of Dooly County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,928 in 2020. Vienna is situated on the Flint River. It was established as Berrien in 1826. In 1833, its name was changed to Drayton. In 1841 ...

. As a senior, he recorded 127

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

, 34

tackles for loss The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see '' Glossary of Canadian football''. 0–9 ...

and 7.5 sacks, leading the Bobcats to an 11–3 record and an appearance in the Class A state title game. In addition to being named All-State for the second straight year, he was selected as a participant in the 2013

Under Armour All-America Game The Under Armour High School All-America Game is a high school football all-star game typically held in early January in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Florida created to spotlight the nation’s top high school seniors. The game wa ...

. He was rated by

Rivals.com Rivals.com (stylized as ''rivals'') is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was found ...

as a five-star recruit and the 3rd best

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line (D ...

in his class. Early on, he leaned towards signing with Clemson (the first school to make an offer), but on

National Signing Day National Signing Day has traditionally been the first day that a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for a collegiate sport with a school that is a Division II member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ...

in February 2013, Adams committed to play

for

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 26,800 undergraduate students, over 6,100 post-graduate students, and a tota ...

College career

Adams played in 13 games as a

true freshman The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see '' Glossary of Canadian football''. 0–9 ...

at Auburn in 2013 and had 20 tackles. In his first career snap, in the season opener against

Washington State Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

on August 31, he sacked Cougars

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

Connor Halliday Connor Halliday (born March 23, 1992) is an American former professional football quarterback. He was signed by the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent in 2015. After his release for the Redskins he was signed by the BC Lions in the s ...

. At the conclusion of the season, he was named a Freshman

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

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. As a sophomore in 2014, he played in 13 games and made 10 starts, recording 43 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 3 sacks and an interception. As a junior in 2015, Adams became a permanent starter at nose tackle, and had 44 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. As a senior, he recorded 44 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception, 2 blocked kicks, and a touchdown as team captain. SECCounty.com called him "the most consistent force for nAuburn defense that went from punchline to power in 2016." He was subsequently named first-team

All-SEC The All-SEC football team is an annual Southeastern Conference (SEC) honor bestowed on the best players in the conference following every college football season. Seasons Following is a list of all-conference teams in the history of the SEC: * ...

, and a second-team All-American (by AP,

CBS Sports CBS Sports is the American sports programming division of Paramount Global that is responsible for sports broadcasts carried by its broadcast network CBS and streaming service Paramount+, as well as the operator of its cable channel CBS Sports N ...

and AFCA) at the conclusion of the season. Adams participated in the 2016

Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...

, recording six tackles, one tackle for loss and a fumble recovery.

Professional career

Green Bay Packers

Adams was selected by the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

in the third round, 93rd overall, in the

2017 NFL draft The 2017 NFL draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...

. He signed his rookie contract on July 5, 2017. He underwent foot surgery in August after suffering a stress fracture on the second day of

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

and missed the entire preseason as a result. On November 11, 2018, Adams recorded his first career sack on

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

quarterback

Brock Osweiler Brock Alan Osweiler (born November 22, 1990) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils and was selecte ...

in a 31–12 victory. He was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

on November 25, 2020.

New England Patriots

On March 19, 2021, Adams signed with the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

. On August 31, 2021, the Patriots released Adams.

New Orleans Saints

On September 6, 2021, Adams signed with the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

. He was released on November 16 and re-signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

Pittsburgh Steelers

On November 30, 2021 Adams was signed by the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

off the Saints practice squad. He appeared in five regular season games with the Steelers and made his first Steelers post-season appearance in their 41-24 playoffs loss to the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

. On March 22, 2022, Adams signed a two-year contract extension with the Steelers. He went on to play in all 17 regular season games making 12 tackles with one being for a loss as he started in a career high nine games. In 2023, Adams made 11 solo tackles and 13 assisted tackles in 13 games played. He also recorded a forced fumble against the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

. He made his third career post-season appearance on January 15, 2024. He recorded one assisted tackle as the Steelers lost 17-31 to the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

. On March 19, 2024, Adams re-signed with the Steelers on a two-year contract. He made his first sack as a member of the Steelers on September 8, 2024 against

Kirk Cousins Kirk Daniel Cousins (born August 19, 1988) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans football, Mi ...

as the Steelers defeated the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

18-10. In Week 7's victory over the New York Jets, Adams suffered a knee injury that led to him being placed on the team's injured reserve list. He was activated from injured reserve on December 14, 2024. On April 28, 2025, it was announced that the Steelers were releasing Adams.

NFL career statistics

Personal life

Adams has two sons. On April 28, 2017, Adams and his high school sweetheart, Lateisha Gray, had their first child, Montravius Adams, Jr. Adams is the son of Debbie Young and Bruce Granville.

References

External links

Auburn Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Montravius Living people 1995 births Sportspeople from Americus, Georgia People from Vienna, Georgia Players of American football from Dooly County, Georgia American football defensive tackles Auburn Tigers football players Green Bay Packers players New England Patriots players New Orleans Saints players Pittsburgh Steelers players Under Armour All-American football players