The Rams bolstered their backfield on Friday night, selecting running back Cam Akers out of Florida State with their first pick in the draft. He was drafted at No. 52 overall, ahead of Ohio State stud J.K. Dobbins.
It was an unexpected pick by the Rams, but one that will certainly help the offense – especially with Todd Gurley gone. He’ll join Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown in L.A.’s running back room, splitting the workload next season.
Here are four things to know about the former FSU star.
Set FSU freshman rushing record
Akers was a stud at Florida State despite running behind a terrible offensive line and getting almost no help around him. He set the freshman rushing record in 2017 when he racked up 1,025 yards, bursting onto the scene as a dynamic first-year player for the Seminoles.
Additionally, he’s just one of three FSU running backs to rush for more than 1,000 yards in multiple seasons, joining Warrick Dunn and Dalvin Cook.
Runs hard through contact
Akers may not be the biggest running back, but he’s strong and runs hard. He put up 20 reps on the bench press, which was among the best of any running back at the combine, and his strength shows when he gets hit.
According to PFF, Akers gained 3.91 yards after contact per attempt, meaning he breaks tackles and picks up hard-earned yards. That’s similar to Darrell Henderson, giving the Rams two elusive and strong runners.
Was a quarterback and running back in high school
Akers won’t be moonlighting Jared Goff’s backup anytime soon, but he does have experience throwing the ball. At Clinton High School in Mississippi, Akers was a quarterback and running back. In his final season, he threw for 3,128 yards and rushed for 2,105 on the ground. He scored 65 total touchdowns, 31 of which were through the air.
After putting up those numbers, he was a five-star recruit, unsurprisingly, and went on to have a successful career at Florida State.
Ran 5th-fastest 40 time by a RB at combine
Akers has plenty of speed out of the backfield, enough to run away from defenders at the next level. He ran a 4.47 in the 40-yard dash at the combine, which was the fifth-fastest time of any running back.
He also had a 35.5-inch vertical and jumped 122 inches in the broad.
