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merlin
He's very physical. Not to say that Dobbins isn't, but he's not in Akers' category IMO. It's like Hendy, where he is more than willing to stick his head in there and get a couple tough yards but he's not the ideal guy to do that.
Akers is the ideal guy to get tough yards for this offense because he can do the other things they want too. I mean you line some guys up on 3rd and 1, let's use a guy like AJ Dillon had they drafted him, and the defense says "here comes the run up the gut." Line up Akers, though, and it could be the run up the gut which you are afraid of given his ability to get tough yards. But it could also be the swing pass or one of several other options for him.
Oh and btw I was sure that Dobbins would be the pick when we were up. I felt like he was the best fit for the Rams with his pass game flexibility. But Akers isn't terrible in the passing game, he's a fantastic pass blocker, and he's tough as nails running up the gut. So I get it.
Having watched a s-load of Dobbins games the last two years, I'm going to say that Dobbins is really physical. It's what I really liked about him, the combination of speed, decision-making and physicality was unmatched by any other back in this draft. But his offensive line was excellent and teams had to worry about Justin Fields hanging onto the ball as well. I suspect he will do really well with the Ravens.
I understand the scheme fit, and think Akers might be a great one but I will always be interested in knowing who they had higher rated on their board in an absolute sense (understanding that teams don't actually do that). And I will say, that even though every one else dismissed the video, his propensity to directly take on defenders in the open field does worry me a little bit.
