Los Angeles Rams 2020 NFL Draft Grades

Round 2

The Rams didn’t have a 1st round pick, as it was part of the deal for cornerback Jalen Ramsey. As such, the team’s first pick of the 2020 NFL draft did not happen until round two.

Pick 52 – RB Cam Akers (Florida State): Les Snead and Sean McVay started their activity in a rather surprising fashion by selecting the Seminoles aggressive and agile running back. Akers was probably not the top running back in the draft, but certainly not because of talent.

In three seasons with Florida State, he had three different head coaches and just one winning season, but Cam made the most out of them, by having two 1,000+ rushing yards seasons.

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It is fair to say that his full potential wasn’t exploited by the team scheme at all, as he showed good receiving capabilities as well, but just has 69 receptions in three seasons.

Akers is a patient yet aggressive player that can run both inside and out; he is a gap hitter and has great vision, and he is hard to bring down, as 904 of his 1.144 yards last season came AFTER contact.

Cam also broke NFL star Dalvin Cook rookie season record for the Florida State football program.

If you want to see how abysmally bad the ‘Noles have been, look at the last two NFL drafts. Just 3 players drafted total.

What does this say about Derrell Henderson’s future? Probably the same, as they drafted him to be Gurley’s change of pace back. The Rams are looking for a solid 1-2 punch.

And although I expected them to go a different route, this pick makes so much sense after the Gurley departure. Snead said earlier this week that they had some offers to trade back, but they just loved Akers. He fits the scheme perfectly.

Grade: A