For Vernon Adams, the silence has been motivating.

Adams, the diminutive Oregon quarterback with a dazzling college resume, said in a phone interview Wednesday that he hasn’t had a pre-draft visit or private workout with an NFL team.

Has the apparent lack of interest increased the size of the chip on his shoulder?

“Yeah, you can say that,” Adams said. “But that doesn’t really matter. Whatever team I play for, whether it’s as a free agent or whatever, I’m going to go in there and work hard and they’re going to see.”

Last year, Adams tossed 26 touchdowns, six interceptions and led the nation in passing efficiency. His one-season stint at Oregon was preceded by three seasons at Eastern Washington, where he was a two-time runner-up for the Walter Payton Award, given to the top player in FCS.

Asked how he overcame his lack of height in college, Adams laughed: “Because it’s not that big of a deal,” he said.

But it’s possible pro evaluators doubt Adams, the East-West Shrine Game’s Offensive MVP, will measure up in the NFL.

Adams (5-10 7/8 inches) was the shortest among the 18 quarterbacks at the combine and his hands (9 1/8) were the fourth-smallest. He showed a gift for extending plays in college, but he doesn’t possess great speed: His 40-yard dash (4.83) ranked 12th among the 17 quarterbacks who ran at the combine.

Of the eight quarterbacks who have measured 5-11 or shorter at the combine from 2000-15, five weren’t drafted. Seattle’s Russell Wilson (5-11) and Seneca Wallace (5-11) are the only quarterbacks among the group who have thrown a pass in the NFL.

What would Adams say to skeptics who don’t believe he’ll be an exception?

“I really don’t know,” he said. “There’s nothing else much I can say. I’m not going to grown any more. You’ve got to just watch the film from my sophomore year until my senior year.”

Adams noted his tiny hands handled the football just fine in a rainstorm in November in a 44-28 win against Cal and quarterback Jared Goff (9-inch hands), the potential No. 1 pick in the draft. Adams completed 17 of 29 passes for 300 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions.

Adams followed that performance by leading Oregon to wins over Stanford (38-36) and USC (48-28), teams directed by quarterback draft prospects in Kevin Hogan and Cody Kessler, respectively. Adams completed 30 of 37 passes for 612 yards with eight touchdowns and one interception in those games.

“I just know that I’m a top-three quarterback in this draft class,” Adams said. “I don’t really like talking about it, to be honest. It really makes me mad. I just want this to be over with and just get on a team. Whether I’m a free agent, whether I’m drafted late, whatever it is. I just want to get on a team and show everybody. And everybody that doesn’t believe in me will see in the preseason when I get in a game.”

Added Adams: “You put the film on, you watch everything, and it shows I’m a game-changer. That’s all I can really say: I’m a game-changer. All I need is a chance. When they see me out there, they’re going to know.”

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Adams said he had one formal visit, with the Steelers, at the combine. He had informal visits with many teams, including the 49ers.

I’ll be writing a newspaper story on Adams that will appear in The Chronicle this weekend.

Twitter: @Eric_Branch