2020 NFL Draft: Cam Akers has intriguing upside entering 2019 season

The 2020 NFL draft will be loaded with talented running back prospects, including Florida State’s Cam Akers.

Blue-chip recruits generally step on campus with lofty expectations. In the case of Cam Akers, he was looking to supplant one of the nation’s most productive backs in 2016 while Florida State fought to remain in national contention.

Akers, the 5-foot-11, 212-pound Clinton, MS product, was a highly-touted recruit that found early success as a change-of-pace complement to Jacque Patrick. He led the team in rushing attempts in his first two seasons despite the committee approach.

Akers turned in 1,025 rushing yards, 5.3 yards per carry and seven touchdowns, adding 16 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown as true freshman.

Akers experienced a dip in production as a sophomore, as did Florida State as a whole. They finished at 5-7 under new head coach Willie Taggart, and Akers put up a 706-rushing yard, six-score season on just 4.4 yards per carry.

He’s an intriguing prospect who still has an opportunity to gain steam heading into the 2020 NFL Draft cycle.

Akers possesses good straight-line speed and a 2nd gear when he finds an opening, but he doesn’t always effectively utilize his agility. Akers flashes twitch and impressive COD quickness, but he has a tendency to dance too much when he’s in the open field.

As a freshman Akers found success turning the corner on outside runs, but he flashed interior rushing ability when he had openings. He looked a little linear as a runner and would routinely get caught up in trash trying to maneuver at the 2nd level.

Akers showed development in this area as a sophomore, although there is room for growth between the tackles.

He’s elusive and can convert broken plays into small gains, but Akers displays a little tunnel vision and will miss cutback opportunities on the weak-side. He will over-commit at times and hit his top gear before things have developed.

The Florida State offensive line was a statistical disaster last season and was sloppy and generally over-powered on film, but NFL running conditions are never perfect.

Most NFL linemen won’t trip over their feet and can get to their spot with quickness, but the bright side of last season was Akers had to figure out how to win when everything unfolded.

Akers moves well in tight spaces and has solid burst when he spots an opening, but he needs to work on converting his speed to power.

Lacking bruising size, he still isn’t afraid to lower his shoulder and run his feet through contact in space, although the results vary. Akers struggles to regain his balance after initial contact and gets brought down pretty easily by striking arm tacklers.

Akers uses his quickness and low pad level to find success in short-yardage situations and keeps his momentum forward as he’s going down.

Akers was asked to split out and contribute more on third down last season and flashed intriguing play-making ability. He sees the ball into his hands and attacks it in the air. He’s asked to run mainly screens, angle and option routes.

Akers assists in blitz pickup and as a lead blocker on jet sweeps. The effort is there, but he relies on shooting his shoulder at defenders a little too much. He has plenty of opportunity and will only improve as he refines his hand usage.

Continuity with the coaching staff and improvement along the offensive line could provide a bounce-back opportunity for both Akers and the Florida State offense. Tamorrion Terry, a 6-foot-4, 203-pound receiver, is a playmaker on the outside that will take some pressure off Akers’ shoulders if they can build consistency under center.

Akers needs to refine his vision and balance but he has plenty of upside. He isn’t a lock to be in Top 100 consideration in the 2020 NFL Draft, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him work his way into the conversation with a strong showing as a junior.