Cam Akers and Van Jefferson profiles

52. Cam Akers

From my big board:

57. Cam Akers - RB - Florida State - 5'-10" 217 lbs. - Another feature back buried on a horrible offense. Does a little of everything., but he's a downhill 1 cut style power back at his best.

#5 overall RB, in Tier 2 on the tiered RB list, 15th best player available on my Rams stacked board at time of pick

His offense at FSU was garbage. No QB, no OL, no WRs. It has slowed his development.

Pros:
3 down size
He is fast (4.47).
has incredible jump cutting ability
is very physical.
Excellent contact balance.
natural pass catcher
excellent pass blocker

Cons:
Does he lack vision or was it his awful line
fumblitis needs to be dealt with

From Dec 2nd on college thoughts:

As far as the RBs
I think when its all said and done, Swift is a 1st rounder
I think Taylor is going to get knocked for all the carries on his body. A RB only gets so many...IMO its not fair, but someone will get a very good back in round 2.
Etienne is probably my #3 back, I love his skill set, but wonder if he can carry the water between the tackles
Akers is woefully under rated on a poor FSU team.
I saw Benjamin for the 2nd time this year the other night and he looks legit.
JK Dobbins is being under valued right now somehow, but he is a heisman candidate, he will build steam towards the draft and could be the 1st or 2nd back off the board by April.

From my Bowl game preview:

Sun Bowl - Arizona State vs. Florida State

Arizona State:
Eno Benjamin (3) RB - a 3rd or 4th round RB that isn't a HR threat, but decent burst, good feet and excellent balance.
Brandon Aiyuk (2) WR - a 6'-1" slot receiver that plays with some toughness and is a good route runner


Florida State:
Marvin Wilson (21) DT - 6'-5" 315 lb athletic DT. better run defender then pass rusher. round 2.
Cam Akers (3) RB - Day 2 rb that is under rated on a poor FSU team. Nice size/power/athletic profile that equates to a 3 down back.
Dontavious Jackson (5) ILB - 6'-3" 230 lbs - a playmaker with good size for the NFL. Quick to react, smooth flower to the ball. rock solid tackler. Late day 3 pick.

From Ram 49s March 20th mock: [ramsrule.com]

I'd personally take Akers in the 2nd and Perine in the 4th with zero issues. Just not sure the Rams would.

Me and Alyo on him in Blinkscout RB review:

Alyo - Cam Akers Florida St. 5-10 217 4.47 4.47 -- 20 DNP 35.5 10-2 9 30 5/8 So ... He literally made a million dollars on the Duce Staley drill. His feet were unreal. My guess is that he's gone by 52, if he's there I'm definitely considering it. Deadpool -Agree, he's my #4 back. He's not my 1st or 2nd choice, but he'd be a nice consolation prize.

From that same string with a convo with Dzrams - [ramsrule.com]

If you have a top 5 back you are most likely taking him in the top 2 rounds. I doubt Akers or Helaire makes it to the Rams pick in the 3rd. And I should have been more clear about what I meant by saying a compliment to Hendo.

Lets use Taylor as an example. You just don't see his blend of size, speed and vision very often. So I would immediately jump him to the top of the food chain. And I would use him 65-35 or 70-30 split with Hendo, because he is just superior in every way. same for Swift, Helaire, Akers and Dobbins.

The other guys will be around the same skill set as Hendo, so a guy like Perine or Evans or Dillon would be more of a 50-50 split.

From Deadpools Mock 2.0:

pick 60:

2-60. Jordyn Brooks - ILB - Texas Tech - 6'-1" 240 lbs. - Great size for the position. Athletic, sideline to sideline thumper that was a tackle machine. Rams met with him at the combine.

previous pick: Leki Fotu - NT - Utah - He makes less sense with the Robinson signing.

Who else makes sense:

Any of the top 4 RBs: Jonathan Taylor, D'Andre Swift, JK Dobbins and Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Maybe Edwards-Helaire is available. Maybe Akers if they feel he is a fit.

57. Van Jefferson:

From my big board:


40. Van Jefferson - WR - Florida - 6'-1" 200 lbs. - A route running technician, good hands and is OK in the open field. Not explosive and not what I would call a HR threat.

#7 overall WR, Tier 2 or my WRs, 7th best player available on my Rams Stacked board when picked

Pros:
NFL size at 6'-2" 200 lbs
soft, natural hands, basically catcher mitts
one of the top 3 route runners in the draft
understands the nuances of being WR
Smooth mover in the open field
will fight for the ball
crafty feet

Cons:
Not explosive
Top end won't scare defenses

An outside/inside WR with everything you want in a starting WR except for top end, but I loved Kupp and I love this kid.


Dzrams:You mentioned Snead's emphasis on the Senior Bowl. Who are the Senior Bowl players this year that you suspect the Rams will be very interested in?

WRs Van Jefferson and Denzel Mims had monster practice weeks, and Jefferson is a smart, savvy route runner that can get open, so you know Snead will like him. Mims is unlike anything the Rams have so I bet he would also be on their radar


From my I love Van Jefferson post April 6th: [ramsrule.com]

The first 3 things I look at when I am scouting WRs is this:
Route Running - because if you cannot run crisp routes, you will not create separation in the NFL and you will not get open.
Hands - If you cannot catch the ball or if you are constantly fighting the ball, I just cannot count on you in big spots. It limits your upside.
speed - Unless you are a detailed route runner, or have great size/length, you need to have some speed or at least be explosive.

Everything else is secondary IMO. Athleticism is nice, blocking ability is a bonus. knowing an entire route tree can be taught, strength can be added, run after the catch is nice, but a bonus. Etc.

Van Jefferson is a good, not great athlete, with average speed. But what he does, he does extremely well. He has great hands. Soft and natural, and strong. Never fights the ball, I want him as my partner in an egg toss competition and a picnic. The other thing he does really well is run routes, his dad was an NFL WR and is now a WR coach, so he has been taught how to properly sink his hips in an out of breaks, how to set up his footwork to maintain speed in and out and never rounds any route off.

So he checks 2 of the 3 big boxes off. I'm not worried about lack of production because Florida QBs have been horrible. But I think he is a 2nd round guy with what I would consider a high floor, low ceiling. Due to his lack of open field ability with a lack of HR speed, he'll never be a WR1, but he will make a heck of a WR2 or WR3 inside from the slot or from the outside. I think he is a less strong Juju Smith-Schuster. LARAM did not like JJSS as much as I did coming out because he just wasn't fast or super athletic. I loved him because he had good hands and got open. I think Jefferson is in that same boat, minus JJSS's strength.

From my top WR in every round post: [ramsrule.com]

Round 3: Van Jefferson - WR - Florida - 6'-1" 200 lbs. - A route running technician, good hands and is OK in the open field. Not explosive and not what I would call a HR threat.

He's #40 on my big board, but I do realize that he probably lasts until maybe from late 2 to mid 3. He is not as explosive as some of the top guys, or as big, but he has outstanding hands, a precise route runner and that makes him about as pro ready as any WR in the class.As a 3rd option behind Kupp and Woods would be perfect for him IMO.

---

Don't waste your time looking back, you're not going that way. - Ragnar Lothbrok