My files app does not let me access my usb drive

I have an iPad 7th gen (ios 15.2), the usb 3 to lightning adapter, and a USB 3 drive.

I am using the Files app and am unable to access my usb drive. I get a “content unavailable” error when trying to access the drive. I decided to restart the iPad, and my drive continues to show up in the files app and is inaccessable (even though it’s not plugged in). Restarting the iPad does not stop the issue

How do I fix this?