5 players who Rams need to be great in 2020
1. Cam Akers
Malcolm Brown may start the season as the Rams No. 1 option at running back, but don’t look for him to hold down the job for any meaningful stretch of time. Los Angeles spent a second-round pick on Akers because it believes he can be the featured back of the future.
The bet the Rams are making is that Akers’ modest collegiate production can be attributed to the questionable talent around him at Florida State. That looks to be true when you turn on his collegiate film. Akers had to do a lot of work to get back to the line of scrimmage on a lot of routine running plays.
He’ll clearly enjoy more support in the NFL. The Rams still have a very good offensive line. There’s a reason why Todd Gurley managed to stay reasonably productive even after his body betrayed him.
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Akers needs to get up to speed quickly and become a legitimate star if the Rams are going to move up in the NFC West standings. That means he needs to become a 1,000-yard rusher who also gives Goff a boost in the passing game. That’s a big ask of a rookie, but it’s what Akers needs to do to help his team meet their goals.