Adam Trick

[Twopointtry]

Magic Trick

In 2025, the Miami (Ohio) men's basketball team had a magical 32-2 season. Color me not impressed when comparing the basketball team's season to the breakout year Adam Trick had playing for the school's football team.

PFSN has a metric called Impact Grade. The basic idea is to measure a player's productivity relative to the average for that particular season. For the 2025 NFL season, Myles Garrett had the best PFSN impact grade among NFL edge rushers with a 95.1 score.

In college football, the EDGE rusher with the best PFSN impact grade in 2025 wasn't David Bailey (2nd overall pick in 2026), Colin Simmons, Dylan Stewart, Reuben Bain, Jr., Akheem Mesidor or John Henry Daley. It was Adam Trick. PFSN has been tracking Impact Grades since 2019. Trick has the best edge defender impact grade every recorded by PFSN. The following are some of the most notable seasons during that period:

Adam Trick 2025, 96.4
Micah Parsons 2019, 95.4
Chase Young 2019, 95.2
Will Anderson Jr 2021, 93.9
Laiatu Latu 2023, 93.0
David Bailey 2025, 92.9
Abdul Carter 2024 91.1
Aidan Hutchinson 2021, 90.6
Jared Verse 2023, 88.8
Kayvon Thibodeaux 2020, 88.2

Other metrics back up PFSN in heralding Trick's dominant performance. Per ESPN stats, Trick led the nation in QB pressures. PFF gave trick a 91.3 overall grade, including a 91.1 pass rush grade. It was a stunning achievement for a player who was very lightly recruited coming out of high school, didn't even play as an EDGE until 2024 and prior to 2025 had very limited career production.

Draft experts are relatively skeptical of Trick's pro potential, primarily because he played against a low level of competition. Particularly in today's college landscape where players are constantly switching schools, I think such biases are outdated. Kobie Turner was a small school player until his final season in college. Jared Verse was a small school guy until he transferred to FSU. Braden Fiske was a small school guy until he transferred to FSU. Josaiah Stewart was a small school guy until he transferred to Michigan. Byron Young began his college career playing for a JUCO school. It doesn't matter where you start. If you can play, you'll move up the ranks and you'll draw the attention of NFL scouts.

Trick will be playing for Texas Tech in 2026, where he'll have a chance to prove that his 2025 season wasn't a fluke. He doesn't need to prove anything to me. I have him graded as a Day 2 prospect. I think he'll at least be a solid backup and potentially could compete for a starting job. The only question mark in my mind is I'm not sure of his ultimate NFL position, because Trick has the athleticism to be used as either an EDGE rusher or as a stacked LB playing behind the DL. Personally, I think he'd be better as a LB. For a 4-3 based team, I'd use him as a SAM linebacker who could reduce down as a situational pass rusher on 3rd downs. I feel strongly about his grade due to where my NFL comp for Trick was drafted and where the Rams drafted Josaiah Stewart.

Rams fans should circle Trick's name, because if we drafted him, I think there is a realistic possibility that he could be a rookie starter for the Rams in 2027.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 1: Background

Name, School: Adam Trick. Redshirt senior. Texas Tech in 2026, Miami (OH) from 2022 to 2025. Graduate transfer. Earned degree in business analytics in the fall of 2025. Academic all-conference in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Size, estimated speed: Miami (OH) listed him as 6'4'' tall and 249 pounds in 2025. Texas Tech lists him as 250 pounds. Was listed at 242 pounds in 2024, 233 pounds in 2023, 224 pounds in 2022. Draftbuzz 4.65 seconds in 40. Brian Bosarge 4.68 to 4.78 seconds in 40. Draftscout 6'3 5/8'' tall, 4.67 seconds in 40.

3-star recruit from suburb of Dayton, OH. Has 2 older brothers. Recruited mostly by Ivy League and MAC schools. Signed by Miami (OH) to be an off-ball, stand up LB, listed on signing day as a 6'4'' tall and 220 linebacker. Primarily was an OLB in HS. Trick says he was about 215 pounds when he arrived on campus. Changed positions, moving to DE for his 3rd season in college.

Went to same HS as Marcus Freeman, the Notre Dame head coach. Trick wasn't as highly regarded as 2 of his HS teammates, both of whom were 4-star recruits. Elijah Brown is a TE who signed with Alabama. He's bounced around a couple other schools and so far in college has a grand total of 1 catch for 22 yards. Aamil Wagner became a starting RT for Notre Dame but wasn't selected in the 2026 NFL draft.

Trick suffered significant injuries in each of his final 3 seasons in HS, including a broken leg and a sprained ankle his SR season. He also played basketball and despite his injuries he joined the basketball team late in their season and played a limited number of minutes.

Per PFN stats, played 652 defensive snaps in 2025, had 66 pressures, 9 sacks, 4 other TFLs, 29 QB hits, 15 splash plays. Per PFF, was 4th in FBS in pressures. Per ESPN, was 1st in FBS in pressures. Has 458 total special teams snaps in career, including considerable experience in punt coverage.

Redshirted in 2022
2023 (14 games): 6 tackles. Played on all 4 core ST units.
2024 (14 games, 3 starts): 37 tackles, 13 solo, 4.5 sacks, 5.5 TFLs, INT, FR, 1 PD. Played on punt coverage unit.
2025 (13 starts): 59 tackles, 26 solo, 8.5 sacks, 12.5 TFLs, INT, 3 FF, 5 PD

PFSN sim 135. Mid-round prospect with early round potential. (+) Incredible PFN impact score of 96.4, 17.7% pressure rate. Elite 1st step explosion, high level bend, vast pass rush arsenal, gap IQ vs run, playmaking range. (-) Average size, middling length, lacks power.
Ian Cummings mock draft 3rd round, 75 overall
DraftBuzz 3rd round, 78th overall. A Day 3 prospect. Rotational backup with starter upside. (+) Durable, productive. (-) Low level of competition, ordinary open-field finisher, average timed speed, effort rusher lacking a refined plan.
Brian Bosarge: (+) Massive growth in 2025 with breakout season, relentless high motor, knack for creating turnovers, ideal OLB frame. (-) Low level of competition, core strength to anchor, a middle to late round prospect.
NFLMDD big board 98, simulator 94
Drafttek 101
PFF big board 61st overall: His 67 pressures lead all returning college players.
Shane Hallam 7-round mock: not selected, UDFA
Sam Teets 5th round tier, 145 [While Teets isn't high on Trick, he does rank him ahead of Kenyatta Jackson Jr.]

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 2: Strengths

Developmental upside. Only has one season of starting experience as an EDGE rusher. The upcoming season will be his first year playing in a power conference. Can continue to get stronger. In 2023, this guy only weighed about 230 pounds and was only a special teams player. I don't think he's maxed out. As he gains more experience, I think he'll only get better.

High football character. Even going back to HS days, his coaches raved about his high character on the team, in the classroom and in the community, and how he was the model for any student-athlete. He was the captain of his HS team. For his football future, there was no reason for him to play basketball his senior year after his injuries, but he still tried to help them coming off the bench.

Even-tempered, mature, grounded, humble, intelligent, calm, respectful, polite, family oriented. Already has his degree, multiple academic recognitions. Was recruited by Ivy league schools. In Texas Tech video, when asked about his 2026 goals, his answer was 100% centered around the team, there were zero individual goals. A very surprising answer coming from one of the top transfer recruits in the country for 2026. No ego, abnormally team oriented almost to a fault. Did someone forget to tell him that he was a superstar in 2025?

As you might imagine given his substantial increase in weight, he's really filled out his frame since HS. Has big hands. Muscular forearms. Proportional athlete with flexibility and coordination.

Miscast as a DE on 4-man front at Miami (OH). Expected to be deployed from a wider alignment at Texas Tech. Effective pass rusher from 3-point stance as DE but I think he's better suited to rush from 2-point stance.

Explosiveness to teleport gaps. Twitchy. Very fast hands. Accurate hands. Sustained burst to close to the QB from extended distance. Excellent ability to redirect and hunt the football. Rare playmaking range due to his COD athleticism, relentless motor and high football IQ. Balance to stay on feet when he gets tripped up.

High energy player who hunts for the ball carrier.

Surprisingly advanced technique for such an extremely inexperienced player. Keeps OTs guessing with variety of hand strikes. Club, swim, stab, 2-hand extension and rip moves Sets up OTs with hesitation fakes. Can rip through, then has finishing technique to get by cleanly. Strings PR moves together fluidly. Spin counter. Hands and feet both stay active in middle of rush, applying continuous pressure on the OT, skilled at deconstructing blocks in the middle of the play. Stacks moves if he gets chipped by a TE. Solid jams on TEs.

Early wins on both pass and run reps. Beats OTs quickly with quality hand technique to get run stuffs or TFLs.

Textbook tackling form on QB sacks and RB stops, wrapping up with helmet positioned properly.

Very natural and comfortable in space, rangy like an ILB. Adding weight and muscle hasn't robbed him of his LB athleticism. When used like an OLB, as a hang defender over a TE, has phenomenal short area burst plus good trigger timing.

One of the most adaptable EDGE rushers you'll find in any draft class. Doesn't allow his pass rush to just stall and die, has great understanding of how to adjust in the middle of the rush to stay active and alive even if his initial move gets stopped. Amazing awareness, anticipation and instincts for stopping his pass rush, reading short passes by the QB and adjusting his position to drop under the route, an off-script and one-man zone blitz danger. The OT blocking his pass rush can sometimes be the worst thing for the offense, because it creates an INT or PD danger.

Switching from being a LB to a DE hasn't changed his eye for diagnosing the action. Very good at reading play development so that he's moving in the proper direction. Much better football instincts and IQ than an average EDGE prospect. Patient vs misdirection.

Could be better in the pros than he's been in college. Tailor made for NFL teams that like to use simulated pressure or zone blitzes, showing many defenders at the LOS, then dropping random players into pass coverage to confuse the offense. Trick is the perfect defender for this tactic, because he's a quality zone pass coverage athlete but he's also a talented pass rusher.

Elite special teams value. Core ST player capable of performing variety of tasks, could become one of the best ST players on his NFL team's roster.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 3: Weaknesses

Suffered multiple injuries in HS. Medical evaluation could impact his draft grade.

Doesn't have the desired size and frame for the NFL. Below average length to be a starter. Slightly short and has slightly short arms. Too light, not enough bulk. Poor lower body strength. Doesn't have broad shoulders. Too small, so he physically looks more like a hybrid player or a pass rush specialist backup than a true NFL edge rusher. He looks like a LB trying to play DE, which essentially is exactly the situation. He's arguably another Morgan Fox and Fox was an UDFA.

Insufficient leg drive to generate effective bull rush. Doesn't convert speed to power.

Doesn't have elite bend or ability to dip at the apex. Allows the OT to recover instead of flattening directly to the QB. Wasn't always able to capitalize when he got initial advantage on pass rushes, his lack of length opened door for OT to recover. Gets ridden to the back of the pocket by longer OTs.

Struggles against OTs with longer arms. Can't extricate himself if he gets hooked and held. The OT can grab his jersey or shoulder pads and control him.

Doesn't have heavy hands. Too reliant on quickness and precise hand strikes.

His pad level can drift too high, causing his pass rush to stall out. On run, got mauled and tossed off the LOS when his pad level got too high.

Underpowered. Struggles to anchor. Gets chewed up by double teams. Gets washed laterally much too easily. Overmatched by OT and TE double team at the POA.

Just okay as a looper. Leaks momentum as he folds behind, doesn't carry enough transition speed to stress the OL.

I don't think he can cover in man. His hips are tight, he struggles to mirror, so he's at risk of getting burned and giving up big separation if he has to flip his hips and run with quality receiving talent. Doesn't have long arms to challenge the catch point.

Passes in the NFL will go over his fingertips, because he's relatively short and doesn't have long arms, so even if he pressures the QB or jumps into a passing lane, he could still miss the ball.

Bounced off RB, missing the tackle, insufficient length and striking power.

Only one season of proven production. Wasn't a full-time player, got rotated out. Some of his QB pressures were "soft" ones where he didn't really do much to get by the OL.

Doesn't have a high ceiling. See my NFL comp for him.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 4: Draft Grade and Pro Comp

3rd round grade. Jonah Elliss (3rd round 2024, Denver Broncos, Utah).

Elliss initially was a LB at Utah. He was only a 3-star recruit. He was converted to DE in 2022. In 2023, he was a consensus All-American. In only 10 games he piled up 12 sacks and had 16 TFLs before suffering a season ending shoulder injury.

As a rookie with the Broncos, Elliss flashed potential as a backup and had 5 sacks. He was held back by injuries in 2025. Denver is pretty stacked at EDGE, so with Elliss unable to break into the rotation, Denver is planning on moving him to LB, where he's expected to be a backup this upcoming season. Elliss has a total of 7.5 career sacks in his 2 NFL seasons.

I feel that Trick and Elliss are very similar players, which is why I slotted Trick into this range. If Trick were on the Broncos, he might not even make the team. If Elliss is just a backup and Trick is behind Elliss on the depth chart, it puts Trick on the back end of the roster. Some NFL teams are like that and have an abundance of riches on defense. One of the disappointing players on Denver's roster is Drew Sanders, a 3rd round pick from 2023 who some draft experts viewed as a 1st round prospect. Sanders was used both as a LB and as a pass rusher in college. Denver is doing the reverse of the Ellis switch, and plan to try Sanders at EDGE instead of having him play as an ILB. Let's say Denver drafted Trick in the 3rd round in 2027. How many disappointing 3rd round linebackers can you keep on a single team?

The Rams aren't the Denver Broncos. The excitement over the Myles Garrett trade masks deeper roster challenges for the Rams. Especially if Byron Young leaves in free agency after 2006, IMO the Rams could face very serious depth issues at both OLB and ILB entering 2027. I think we're already facing a big problem for 2026 if we get unlucky with injuries and lose some of the key defensive starters.

I'm not expecting Adam Trick to become a Pro Bowler, but I think he has the potential to become a quality NFL starter. He has excellent football IQ on the field, good technique for beating pass and run blocks and he's abnormally good in space for an EDGE defender. I think his skill set complements Garrett. If Trick were a Ram, we wouldn't need him to get 10 sacks per year. We wouldn't be drafting him for a Batman role; he'd only need to be a Robin. Especially if Sam Teets turns out to be right and we'd only be investing a 5th round pick for Trick, I'd be pretty interested in him by that point. The value would be good. We drafted Brennan Jackson in the 5th round in 2024. I liked Jackson, because he was a high motor player and I thought he could be a good special teams player. Trick is a better prospect than Jackson.

 

[Memento]

Really big Trick fan. Love his effort and athleticism, and I think he could be a solid edge rusher to potentially replace Agent Zero. If we draft him, I want his nickname to be "Trick-or-Treat".

...Yes, I really love Halloween, what of it?