Versatile Cam Akers adds juice as pass catcher, Wildcat QB for Rams
Quarterback dangerous throwing the football and running it like Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson and Kyler Murry have emerged as dominant offensive threats in the NFL.
Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers possessed those same traits a dual threat quarterback who led his team to a Mississippi state high school championship his senior season.
A highly sought after national recruit who landed at Florida State, Akers said only three colleges (including the school of choice for Cam Newton in Auburn), recruited him as quarterback.
Akers said he had no desire to play quarterback in college. However, playing the quarterback position helped make him a better player at his desired position of running back once he got to Florida State.
“I was blessed with athletic ability,” Akers said. “Early on, to be able to see those things and now it’s helping me at my permanent position at running back.
“Like quarterback, for instance, just being able to see the field, breaking down secondaries and defenses. That helped me a lot from transitioning from quarterback in high school to running back in college. It helped things slow down, still helping me to this day.”
Drafted in the second round by the Rams this year, L.A. benefits from that quarterbacking experience by Akers as they attempt to replace the loss of production with Todd Gurley gone.
Akers said he’s talked with Gurley about making the transition from college to the NFL, and wants to develop into one of the best runners in the league like Gurley.
“Just knowing how he thinks mentally when he is running the ball and how he prepares,” Akers said. “I just would like to take a lot from that. I don’t think I’m at the level he’s at yet, but I’m trying to get there. I want to be there and I’m working to get there.
“So, whether that’s talking to him, asking him things that he did while he was here. Just trying to take in and soak in as much information as I can.”
Akers said he looked to Gurley, Ezekiel Elliott, Dalvin Cook and Alvin Kamara as guys to emulate while he made his way to the league.
“I just like to watch full package guys,” Akers said. “Guys who can do it all and guys who aren’t one dimensional. Guys who can block, catch and run. That’s the type of game I want to have.”
At 5-10 and 217 pounds, Akers has to potential to developing into an every-down back like the players he looked up to.
The athleticism is there. Cook ran a 4.47-yard, 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine in February, benched pressed 225 pounds 25 pounds and posted a 35.5-inch vertical jump.
Behind a so-so offensive line at Florida State, Akers still produced, totaling 1,144 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground.
He also showed an ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, finishing with 69 career catches for 486 yards and seven receiving touchdowns.
Akers will compete with Malcolm Brown, Darrell Henderson and John Kelly for touches in the offense, as head coach Sean McVay said he will take a running back by committee approach to start the season.
However, McVay likes what Akers can contribute.
“There’s not anything he can’t do, that's why we liked him so much,” McVay said. “I mean the versatility, the overall athleticism, the toughness. He can really run any scheme. He can take a hand off from the off-set gun or if he’s in the dot. So, that’s what you just liked about him, was the body of work and the versatility, the ability to create plays on his own.”
And there still might be room for Akers to use those impressive quarterback skills from high school.
“He was the top high school recruit as a quarterback coming out,” McVay said. “So, his stats are, when you look at them, it’s almost like a ‘Madden’ stat-line when you see the stuff he was doing in high school.
“We knew about it. I know our personnel staff did a great job of vetting him and going real deep in terms of the background. … There are some trick plays where he’s catching a swing pass to his left and flipping his hips and making 50-yard throws down the field. He did some impressive stuff. You never know, we might have a wildcat package coming to a theater near you.”
