Rams select Cam Akers at 52

TurfShowTimes@TurfShowTimes
What did the LA Rams get with their pick of running back Cam Akers? A tackle-breaking machine.

Rich Hammond@Rich_Hammond
The Rams needed a running back, folks.

Darrell Henderson wasn’t drafted to be a lead back, so I really don’t understand the presumption that he would suddenly become one.

I’m surprised the Rams didn’t go defense there, but they needed a RB.

Deadpool

52. Cam Akers

From my big board:

57. Cam Akers – RB – Florida State – 5′-10″ 217 lbs. – Another feature back buried on a horrible offense. Does a little of everything., but he’s a downhill 1 cut style power back at his best.

#5 overall RB, in Tier 2 on the tiered RB list, 15th best player available on my Rams stacked board at time of pick

His offense at FSU was garbage. No QB, no OL, no WRs. It has slowed his development.

Pros:
3 down size
He is fast (4.47).
has incredible jump cutting ability
is very physical.
Excellent contact balance.
natural pass catcher
excellent pass blocker

Cons:
Does he lack vision or was it his awful line
fumblitis needs to be dealt with

From Dec 2nd on college thoughts:

As far as the RBs
I think when its all said and done, Swift is a 1st rounder
I think Taylor is going to get knocked for all the carries on his body. A RB only gets so many…IMO its not fair, but someone will get a very good back in round 2.
Etienne is probably my #3 back, I love his skill set, but wonder if he can carry the water between the tackles
Akers is woefully under rated on a poor FSU team.
I saw Benjamin for the 2nd time this year the other night and he looks legit.
JK Dobbins is being under valued right now somehow, but he is a heisman candidate, he will build steam towards the draft and could be the 1st or 2nd back off the board by April.

From my Bowl game preview:

Sun Bowl – Arizona State vs. Florida State

Florida State:
Marvin Wilson (21) DT – 6′-5″ 315 lb athletic DT. better run defender then pass rusher. round 2.
Cam Akers (3) RB – Day 2 rb that is under rated on a poor FSU team. Nice size/power/athletic profile that equates to a 3 down back.
Dontavious Jackson (5) ILB – 6′-3″ 230 lbs – a playmaker with good size for the NFL. Quick to react, smooth flower to the ball. rock solid tackler. Late day 3 pick.

From Ram 49s March 20th mock: http://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,779705,779795#msg-779795

I’d personally take Akers in the 2nd and Perine in the 4th with zero issues. Just not sure the Rams would.

Me and Alyo on him in Blinkscout RB review:

Alyo – Cam Akers Florida St. 5-10 217 4.47 4.47 — 20 DNP 35.5 10-2 9 30 5/8 So … He literally made a million dollars on the Duce Staley drill. His feet were unreal. My guess is that he’s gone by 52, if he’s there I’m definitely considering it. Deadpool -Agree, he’s my #4 back. He’s not my 1st or 2nd choice, but he’d be a nice consolation prize.

From that same string with a convo with Dzrams – http://ramsrule.com/herd/read.php?19,782117,782192#msg-782192

If you have a top 5 back you are most likely taking him in the top 2 rounds. I doubt Akers or Helaire makes it to the Rams pick in the 3rd. And I should have been more clear about what I meant by saying a compliment to Hendo.

Lets use Taylor as an example. You just don’t see his blend of size, speed and vision very often. So I would immediately jump him to the top of the food chain. And I would use him 65-35 or 70-30 split with Hendo, because he is just superior in every way. same for Swift, Helaire, Akers and Dobbins.

The other guys will be around the same skill set as Hendo, so a guy like Perine or Evans or Dillon would be more of a 50-50 split.

From Deadpools Mock 2.0:

pick 60:

2-60. Jordyn Brooks – ILB – Texas Tech – 6′-1″ 240 lbs. – Great size for the position. Athletic, sideline to sideline thumper that was a tackle machine. Rams met with him at the combine.

previous pick: Leki Fotu – NT – Utah – He makes less sense with the Robinson signing.

Who else makes sense:

Any of the top 4 RBs: Jonathan Taylor, D’Andre Swift, JK Dobbins and Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Maybe Edwards-Helaire is available. Maybe Akers if they feel he is a fit.

I don't hate the pick anymore…Just look at what Cam Akers can do in the passing game. He and Henderson in addition to Brown are going to be something else…Just please McVay…Use the running backs! pic.twitter.com/IOQEBSFxAx

— JAKE OLIVER ELLENBOGEN (@JKBogenDTR) April 25, 2020

FROM OURLADS

(He’s their 5th rank RB)

Junior entry, three-year starter, Clinton, MS. Arrived at Tallahassee as one of the most sought after recruits in the country. Was a high school quarterback who was dominant on the ground but also produced through the air. Broke Dalvin Cook’s FSU freshman rushing record and ended his career as the fifth all-time leading rusher in program history. Was third-team all ACC in 2017, second-team in 2019. Has every-down capability in his running style. Sees the field exceptionally well, takes what the defense gives him, and gains plenty of yards after contact. Improved as a receiver all three years and plays with a team first attitude that can inspire hope for his blocking potential, which was up and down. He has a ball security issue that absolutely must be fixed before he can be trusted in the NFL. He puts the ball in the wrong hand at an alarming rate, fumbling once every 65 touches in college. The offense was broken at Florida State over the last two years, so there is some unknown here if he gets put into a quality scheme with good blocking. Is an every-down back capable of filling every role that any scheme needs at the position. Excellent vision pre and post snap. Can see the whole field and shows minimal hesitation. Light but assertive feet that are always chopping through contact. A fall-forward back. Consistently picks up yards after contact, rarely taken down by the initial defender whether he is in a crowd or the open field. Has breakaway speed in the open field and understanding of angles. Can alter his running style depending on the situation. Has a nose for the goal line. Outstanding hands and routes out of the backfield. Hips aren’t lose. Not a straight line burst runner when a crease appears unexpectedly. Inconsistent performances as a blocker. 2019 stats: 1144 yards, 5.0 ypc, 14 TD, 30 rec, 225 yds, 7.5 ypr, 4 TD, OSR: 7/33. Third/fourth round. (A-30, 5/8, H-9, BP-20, SS-4.42).

Todd Gurley congratulating new #Rams RB Cam Akers 🙌🏽 pic.twitter.com/60GJuP0PHm

— RamsToday (@RamsTodayIG) April 25, 2020

trying to get excited about this pick.

best case scenario he makes an instant impact, and we get to see the mcvay offense we’re used to seeing.

Well it would be nice if he could be this:

"Cam Akers ran the new 'Duce Staley Drill' at the Combine so well that I had an NFL executive text me to say they should re-name it the 'Cam Akers Drill.' I can tell you the @RamsNFL were ecstatic how things worked out; landing the lone FSU player drafted this year." – @PSchrags pic.twitter.com/llbTgNOCbL

— GMFB (@gmfb) April 27, 2020

Andy Benoit@Andy_Benoit
Would not be at all surprised if Cam Akers rushes for 1,000+ yds as a rookie. Smart, mature running style fits #Rams wide-zone ground game.

from Bucky Brooks Best Fits

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001111967/article/2020-nfl-draft-lovepackers-dobbinsravens-among-top-10-fits?campaign=Twitter_nfl_cfb

4) Cam Akers, RB, Los Angeles Rams
Drafted No. 52 overall (Round 2)

The Florida State standout is a perfect match for Sean McVay’s zone-based running game as a one-cut runner with body control, balance and burst. Akers quietly put together a pair of 1,000-yard seasons behind a suspect offensive line due to his creativity, toughness and stamina. With the Rams, he steps into a better situation with a scheme that suits his talents and a coach looking to reclaim his title as one of the game’s best play designers. If the Rams also tap into his explosive skills as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, particularly in the screen game, Akers could quickly become a household name as one of the best young running backs in football.

from https://www.therams.com/news/cam-akers-florida-state-five-things-to-know

3.9 of [Akers’] 4.9 yards per carry last season occurred after contact per scouting service Pro Football Focus. Collectively, 904 of Akers’ 1,144 rushing yards (79 percent) last season occurred after contact.

from https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2020/05/07/nfl-draft-rams-cam-akers-total-package/

The Rams shared a behind-the-scenes view of the pre-draft conference calls held by Snead and scouts, and on one of them, scout Michael Pierce said Akers is a complete package at running back.

He even wouldn’t be surprised if Akers is more productive than Swift a few years from now.

“I really like him. if he’s there, I would love to have him on our team,” he said. “I think he can do it all. He can run inside, he can run outside, he can catch the ball well, he’s elusive. I think he’s the total package as a back and I wouldn’t be surprised if we look back a few years from now and say he’s more productive than Swift. He just does everything – he does everything well.”

…

george_allen

Here’s something else on him:
from Rob Rang: . . . his 10-yard split was a full tenth of a second faster (1.47) than any other back who ran at this year’s Combine

after pouring over combine stats for years now, i think a 1.47 10 yard split is pretty special for a man of his weight. and a full 10th faster than any other RB at that combine? wow. would love to know what his 3 cone drill score would’ve been but based on his 20 yard shuttle and projected 3 cone, he seems to be way up there in change of direction too. i guess this is why some see a faulk comparison.

having spent some time tonight watching cam youtubes, i think he looks like roger craig at the professional level – kind of a tough comparison though. i have no idea what craig looked like at the college level {wasn’t as into college football or the draft at that time} or any idea what cam will look like at the pro level.

i’m really high on cam and very hopeful ~ it’s fun to draw comparisons but i just think comparisons to a pair of hall-of-famers is way too premature and unfair to cam.

i spent more time tonight watching interviews with cam than highlights. my impression is the kid is genuinely humble. not an i guy but a true we guy. came away from listening to him talk impressed. i think the fo chose wisely.

zn wrote:

after pouring over combine stats for years now, i think a 1.47 10 yard split is pretty special for a man of his weight. and a full 10th faster than any other RB at that combine?

it’s actually elite. most rbs are in the 1.50 range or higher. i’ve seen one below that. edgerrin james ran his split in 1.40.

even a guy like lesean mccoy was in the 1.5’s. it’s for sure in the elite range.

his short shuttle time is very mediocre though. 4.43. that’s very slow. now i don’t know what happened there. very strange. maybe he slipped? but you’d expect at least in the 4.2 range. and it seems to be a pretty good indicator at least for rbs. we’ll see. peterson only ran a 4.40 short shuttle compared to a 4.41 40. kamara only ran a 4.35 short shuttle. so again. there’s exceptions.

by the way peterson only had a 1.57 10 yard split. so that just shows the type of burst that akers has.

i can just see it. his nickname should be “can run for”.

bwahahahaha!

InvaderRam wrote:

i decided to look at cam akers ypc and compare it to the rest of the team.

Good post!

Thanks