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Los Angeles Rams depth chart: Cam Akers vs. Darrell Henderson

By Sayre Bedinger

TALLAHASSEE, FL - OCTOBER 26: Runningback Cam Akers #3 of the Florida State Seminoles on a running play during the game against the Syracuse Orange at Doak Campbell Stadium on Bobby Bowden Field on October 26, 2019 in Tallahassee, Florida. The Seminoles defeated the Orange 35 to 17. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - OCTOBER 26: Runningback Cam Akers #3 of the Florida State Seminoles on a running play during the game against the Syracuse Orange at Doak Campbell Stadium on Bobby Bowden Field on October 26, 2019 in Tallahassee, Florida. The Seminoles defeated the Orange 35 to 17. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /
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How will the Los Angeles Rams depth chart battle at RB turn out between Cam Akers, Darrell Henderson?

The Los Angeles Rams made the very difficult decision in the 2020 offseason to move on from former first-round pick Todd Gurley, whose rapid ascent to stardom in the NFL has recently been slowed down by injuries.

The Rams couldn’t get things going down the stretch in the 2018 season without Gurley at full strength, and he failed to reach four yards per carry in the 2019 season for the first time since 2016.

The Rams’ depth chart at running back will be shuffled around now with Gurley in Atlanta, but who will be the team’s lead ball-carrier with him out of the mix?

Those are not easy shoes to fill.

The Rams used a third-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on Memphis running back Darrell Henderson, but his rookie season was not quite what everyone had anticipated.

Henderson struggled in 13 games to get going with just 147 rushing yards and 187 yards from scrimmage.

The Rams’ primary backup to Gurley was Malcolm Brown who had five touchdowns but just 271 yards from scrimmage in 2019.

There’s no question an infusion of talent is needed, which is why the Rams spent a second-round pick — their top pick in the 2020 NFL Draft — on Florida State running back Cam Akers.

Cam Akers athletic profile

Akers has a pretty ideal body type for a running back with a thick lower half and a low center of gravity at 5-foot-10, 217 pounds.

He ran a really good 4.47 in the 40-yard dash at the Scouting Combine and showed his athleticism with a 35.5-inch vertical jump and a 122-inch broad jump.

Akers was outstanding in his freshman season for Florida State, racking up over 1,000 rushing yards on under 200 carries with seven rushing touchdowns.

That production took a huge step back in his sophomore season when he was limited to 706 rushing yards and a 4.4 yards per carry average.

Then as a junior, Akers picked it up in a big way with 1,144 rushing yards, 30 receptions, 14 rushing touchdowns, and four receiving touchdowns.

Among this year’s crop of running backs, Akers may have had the most underrated breakthrough of any player.

If you’re a dynasty fantasy football player, this kid had better be really high on your list.

The Los Angeles Rams are due to bounce back in the 2020 season in a big way and Akers is going to be part of that. His main competition on the Rams depth chart will obviously be Malcolm Brown and Darrell Henderson, with Henderson the guy I expect to make the biggest push.

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Between those three guys, the Rams should have a strong committee of backs but Akers is the favorite right now to win the starting job. With what the Rams invested in him and what we saw out of him in his junior season at Florida State, there’s reason enough to believe that this kid could contend for some top rookie honors in 2020.

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