Cam Akers was one of the players the Rams coveted in the second round, with Les Snead saying he and Van Jefferson were both among the five realistic targets they hoped to land at No. 52. Akers wound up being the pick over the likes of J.K. Dobbins, which says a lot about how Los Angeles views the former Florida State running back.
Not only is he a talented runner, but he can also catch the ball out of the backfield, block for his quarterback, and even throw the ball a bit. As a former high school quarterback, Akers can do some of everything on offense. As a senior in high school, Akers threw for 3,128 yards and 31 touchdowns, being named Gatorade Player of the Year.
That has Sean McVay excited about the possibilities of trick plays with Akers in the backfield.
“He was an unbelievable quarterback in high school. He had some good trick plays so we’ll have to add to the inventory and see if he can throw it a little bit still,” McVay said in an interview with Mike Tirico of NBC Sports.
Here’s a brief glimpse at Akers’ arm strength and accuracy, nailing this pass on a trick play at Florida State in 2017.
First and foremost, of course, Akers will help reignite the Rams’ ground game. It’s in need of a spark after a down year in 2019, and the goal is for Akers to join a committee that also features Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown.
McVay doesn’t yet know how the share of touches and playing time will be handled next season, but having three capable backs is an ideal scenario for Los Angeles.
“It’s a big deal. When you look at who we’ve got in our room already with Darrell Henderson, with Malcolm Brown, with John Kelly, you wanted to add a guy like Cam to the mix,” McVay said. “What says as much about Cam as anything is the amount of texts I got as soon as we made that pick. Derrick Brooks was one of the first texts. I mean, this is a guy that’s so revered. Even talking to our equipment manager Brendan Berger, people at Florida State had reached out. You can’t find somebody that doesn’t love this guy and what he’s about. And certainly, the ability is there.”
Akers has the makings of a true workhorse back, having been used that way at Florida State for a few years, but the Rams don’t seem to want to use any one player that way. They want to keep everyone fresh and healthy, which was the opposite of how they used Todd Gurley.
Akers shouldn’t be expected to carry it 300 times as a rookie, but it’s reasonable to think he’ll get 200-plus touches in Year 1.
[vertical-gallery id=632238]