Five young LA Rams players who will shine in 2021

Running back

It may be difficult to accept that running back Cam Akers will shine in 2021 after playing brilliantly down the stretch of 2020. But if that is unagreeable to you, then simply modify the statement to read that he will shine more brightly in 2021. He’s it now. There is no more yolk of a rookie season to sit him on the bench.

It certainly takes a lot to convince head coach Sean McVay to go all-in on a rookie player. He just doesn’t do it as a rule, unless it’s an emergency. But the Rams drafted rookie RB Akers to be the featured running back. After over half the season where veteran Malcolm Brown couldn’t churn out the yardage and teammate Darell Henderson couldn’t stay healthy, Akers was left as the best option.

He didn’t fail the team. Instead, he stepped up with huge games in the second half of the season, and into the playoffs. Not only did he showcase some elite ability to put up huge chunks of yards. But he complimented his ground game with a very pleasant receiving run as well. And it was that ability to threaten the defense on the ground and in the air that makes him such a dangerous weapon in the Rams offense.

That’s a good thing because he’ll be seeing much more action in 2021. The LA Rams offense has not benefitted from a 1,000-yard rusher since Todd Gurley did so in 2018.  If he stays healthy, Cam Akers will be the next to do so for the Rams offense.

With a play-action-based offense, boasting a dangerous running back will be the cure for the Rams offensive malaise. While any improvement in scoring by the Rams offense will go to Stafford or McVay, the true cause will be Cam Akers, doing what he does best.