{"id":42466,"date":"2018-04-20T09:00:18","date_gmt":"2018-04-20T13:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=42466"},"modified":"2018-04-21T12:26:57","modified_gmt":"2018-04-21T16:26:57","slug":"akrum-wadley-2018-nfl-draft-profile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2018\/04\/20\/akrum-wadley-2018-nfl-draft-profile\/","title":{"rendered":"Akrum Wadley 2018 NFL Draft Profile"},"content":{"rendered":"

Overview
\nPosition<\/strong>: Running back
\nHeight<\/strong>: 5’10”
\nWeight<\/strong>: 191 pounds
\nSchool<\/strong>: Iowa Hawkeyes<\/p>\n

Combine Performance Data<\/strong>
\n40-yard dash<\/strong>: 4.54 seconds
\nBench press<\/strong>: 12 reps
\nVertical jump<\/strong>: 32 inches<\/p>\n

Akrum Wadley 2018 NFL Draft Profile<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Rutgers joining the Big Ten has certainly expanded the conference’s recruiting footprint. And Iowa has been a beneficiary, gaining four prospects from the state of New Jersey since the Scarlet Knights’ inaugural year in the league back in 2014. They only had three in the five years prior. Akrum Wadley<\/a><\/strong> was one of them, comprising the Hawkeyes 2013 recruiting class. He starred at Weequahic High School in Newark, scoring a school record 25 rushing touchdowns as a senior. But he wasn’t the most highly touted recruit, with Iowa and Temple his only scholarship offers.<\/p>\n

After redshirting in 2013, Wadley saw minimal action in the backfield the following season, managing just 186 yards and a touchdown. But that gradually changed over the next three seasons to the point where he emerged as one of the Big Ten’s top backs as an upperclassman. As a redshirt junior, he made just a single start but comprised a fairly dynamic committee backfield with LeShun Daniels<\/a><\/strong>. Both finished with 10 touchdowns that year but Wadley narrowly outgained Daniels 1,081-1,058. The following year, Wadley became the Hawkeyes bell cow in accounting for 61.2 percent of the team’s rushing offense. That amounted to 1,109 yards, the fifth-best total in the Big Ten. He also added a further 10 touchdowns.<\/p>\n

Wadley capped his collegiate career in style with 283 all-purpose yards in Iowa’s win over Boston College in last year’s Pinstripe Bowl. It included a rushing touchdown and 171 kickoff return yards en route to game MVP honors. For his career, Wadley joined Sedrick Shaw<\/a><\/strong>, Ladell Betts<\/a><\/strong>, and Fred Russell<\/a><\/strong> as the only players in school history to have consecutive 1,000+ yard seasons. He’s also fourth all-time among Iowa running backs in career yardage and rushing touchdowns.<\/p>\n

Strengths<\/h2>\n