Cam Akers Overview
Position: Running back
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 217 lbs
Arms: 30 ⅝”
Hands: 9”
School: Florida State
NFL Combine Performance Data
40 Yard Dash: 4.47 seconds
Three Cone Drill: N/A
Bench Press: 20 reps
Vertical Jump: 35.5”
Broad Jump: 122”
Cam Akers 2020 NFL Draft Profile
While Akers played quarterback for Mississippi’s Clinton High School, he earned a five-star recruiting profile as a running back. Akers was considered a top ten overall nationally ranked prospect along with being seen as a top-three nationally ranked running back prospect. Akers received numerous high profile offers from schools such as Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Georgia, and Alabama before committing to Florida State.
As a true freshman in 2017, Akers led the team in rushing and broke Dalvin Cook’s freshman rushing record with 1,024 yards and seven touchdowns. Akers was named Third-Team All-ACC before he saw a dip in production during his sophomore season in which he totaled just 706 rushing yards. However, Akers’ 2019 junior season featured the back returning to form as he started all 11 games and finished the season with 1,144 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. The performance earned Akers Second-Team All-ACC honors along with concluding his collegiate career as the Seminoles fifth all-time leading rusher.
Strengths
- Nimble feet with the ability to make quick cuts;
- His vision looks promising, but his offensive line at Florida State did little to help him out;
- NFL caliber size and should be able to remain durable;
- Great balance when absorbing contact and runs with impressive power behind his pads;
- Has impressive elusiveness for his size and has enough moves to make defenders miss at the next level;
- Has NFL caliber strength and athleticism that suffered behind a terrible offensive line.
Weaknesses
- Has the tools to succeed in pass protection, but his fundamentals need vast improvement;
- Has shown the skills to succeed as a pass catching back, but was not utilized in that role and has not shown elite pass catching on tape;
- Vision could use some improvement, but that should improve when he plays behind a better offensive line;
- Is good as a route runner but will need to improve at the next level;
- His career inconsistency raises questions as to whether or not he is a streaky player or if his offensive line is to blame.
NFL Comparison: Kerryon Johnson
Teams With Need at Position: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans
Projection: Late second to late third round
Bottom Line on Cam Akers
Akers is one of the most intriguing prospects within this draft class. With NFL caliber size, athleticism, and running style, there are questions as to why he was not more productive at the collegiate level. Many of these questions have been dismissed though as many in the scouting community have classified his offensive line and overall running scheme as incredibly elementary. Despite a poor offensive line, Akers frequently demonstrated his quick feet and creative vision as plays often broke down. Furthermore, Akers has shown good power and balance as a runner which should carry over to the next level. While Akers’ pass protection skills along with his overall impact in the passing game need definite improvement, he was not asked to do a ton within Florida State’s passing game. Akers’ lack of top-end success was often due to a poor surrounding cast and he should be seen as a high upside player with all the physical tools to succeed within the NFL.
Main photo:
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