2020 NFL Draft: FSU RB Cam Akers scouting report

This scouting report gives you a closer look at running back prospect Cam Akers and why he is one of the more curious players in the 2020 NFL Draft class

Florida State RB Cam Akers’ 2019 season is going to be extremely important as far as his draft stock is concerned. With a deep class of backs highlighting the 2020 NFL Draft, he will need to bounce back after a disappointing 2018 to regain the hype he once had.

Let’s take a closer look at this promising prospect.

• Height: 5-foot-11
• Weight: 212 pounds (measurements via FSU athletics)
• 2018 Overview: Led team with 706 yards and 6 touchdowns on the ground. Carried the ball 161 times and averaged 4.4 yards per carry. Added two touchdowns and 145 yards on 23 receptions in the passing game.

Akers was the top-ranked running back recruit in the 2017 class and hit the ground running as a true freshman at Florida State. He broke Dalvin Cook’s FSU freshman rushing record after gaining 1,025 yards on the ground and found the end zone 7 times on 194 carries. Akers also showed some promise as a pass catcher out of the backfield, reeling in 16 receptions for 116 yards and another score.

The 2018 season was a different story. After a coaching change that brought in a different offensive scheme and a nagging ankle injury that lingered nearly the whole season, Akers struggled to showcase the excitement he had put on display regularly just a season ago. He rushed for only 706 yards, averaged a pedestrian 4.4 yards per carry and had just one game in which he ran for over 100 yards.

If you take into account the situation that Akers was in with the injury, scheme change and playing behind the worst offensive line in the country, it’s tough to know exactly who he is as a back right now.

He has shown elite traits at times, including incredible burst at the line of scrimmage, an aggressiveness that makes DBs nervous to go high on him, and special one-cut ability. He has 10 carries of 20 or more yards in his career, with seven of those going for more than 40 yards, so he is a threat to house it anytime he touches the ball.

Akers has also proven to be reliable in the passing game as he has nabbed 39 balls for 261 yards and three scores in his two seasons with the Seminoles. He’s also not afraid to mix it up as a blocker and has shown respectable technique in that area thus far in his career.

Where he does need to improve are areas that point to his inexperience as a true tailback, seeing as how he actually played quarterback in an option-style offense in high school. He runs like a scrambling quarterback at times and his balance is very inconsistent.

One play he will bounce off tacklers, keep his feet and reach pay dirt, and the next he will make one cut and fall forward as if he wasn’t able to control his own momentum.

Overall, Akers has a ton of appealing skills and is a truly dynamic athlete with traits of a starting running back at the next level but it’s hard to ignore the inconsistent tape from 2017 to 2018. He just didn’t look to have that same explosiveness and seemed to lack confidence as the year went on but there’s no reason to believe he can’t get that back going into this season.

With a clean bill of health, more familiarity with the fast-paced Taggart/Briles system, and hopefully an improved offensive line, Akers absolutely has the talent and ability to get back into the mix as one of the top backs in 2020 NFL draft class.