2018 Rookie Profile: Akrum Wadley, RB Iowa

Bruce Matson

In today’s NFL, running backs need to be able to catch the ball out of the backfield to be able to have a chance at receiving enough opportunity to be fantasy relevant. The best backs in the league are also tremendous pass catchers. Akrum Wadley is one of many running backs in this draft class who is rock solid at catching the football. During his collegiate career, he was a key piece of Iowa’s offense and if things go his way, he could be a key piece to your dynasty team in the near future.

STATS

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Statistics from sports-reference.com

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Wadley played behind Jordan Canzeri and Mark Weisman during his freshman year. That’s the main reason why he didn’t get a large workload during his first season. Ideally, you want players who breakout during the first two seasons of their collegiate career. However, it’s not a deal breaker if it takes a few years for a player to be productive.

He saw a slight uptick in production during his sophomore season, but it still wasn’t enough to be considered breakout-worthy. Canzeri and Leshun Daniels led the charge that year with 349 total touches between the two backs. The competition for touches prevented Wadley from owning a large market share of Iowa’s offensive production.

After two seasons of lackluster production, Wadley finally had his breakout season, accumulating 1,396 total yards and 13 touchdowns. He had six 100-yard rushing performances. In week seven against Purdue, he rushed for 176 yards and one touchdown and also caught two passes for 25 yards. His best performances came against Michigan, Florida, and Minnesota.

Going into his senior season, Wadley was pinned as one of the top up-and-coming draft prospects. This will be his first season as the team’s primary running back. He didn’t disappoint in this role as he rushed for 1,109 yards and ten touchdowns. Wadley finished the season ranked sixth in the nation amongst running backs with a 34.13 percent Market Share of Iowa’s offensive production. Iowa utilized him as their secret weapon to upset the Ohio State Buckeyes 55-24. In that game, he rushed for 118 yards and caught three passes for 40 yards against one of the nation’s top defenses.

THE FILM

In this game, Wadley rushed for 118 yards and one touchdown on 28 carries. He also caught four passes for 72 yards and one touchdown. One thing he’s known for is his ability to juke out defenders in the open field. Wadley moves laterally very well and he does a good job at using his footwork to slide step defenders to pick up extra yardage. His excellent vision definitely aids his ability to slip away from the opposition in the open field. He does a good job of finding the running lane while approaching the line of scrimmage.

There are some flaws in his game. He’s not a big sturdy runner and he’s quite easy to bring down. Pass protection is a big issue for Wadley because he struggles to maintain blocks on bigger defenders. Not only that, but there are times he looks disinterested when it comes to pass blocking. Possibly the worst thing about his profile is his size-adjusted speed. There aren’t many successful backs in the league who run a 4.5 40-yard dash or worse and weigh less than 200-pounds. He’s very comparable to backs like Ameer Abdullah and Andre Ellington in this regard – two smaller backs who are ‘quicker than fast’.

MEASURABLES

Honestly, there’s not one thing in Wadley’s athletic makeup that makes me excited. I’d rather eat my wife’s pot roast than be a running back who’s undersized and slow. I don’t know why he didn’t perform the three-cone drill at the combine, it’s not like he really had anything to lose.

Kelvin Taylor is his closest comparison. Both running backs are very limited when it comes to athleticism. Theo Riddick is another interesting comparison on this chart. Mainly, because he also has a very similar skill set to Wadley. The two running backs are both tremendous receivers out of the backfield. Like Riddick, Wadley will need to carve a role as the team’s receiving back if he wants to stick in the NFL.

DYNASTY VALUE

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DLF ADP is available for every player on their player page.

It’s not going to take much to acquire Wadley’s services this year. He’s currently holding a 213.17 ADP in startup drafts and he’s also being selected around the third round in rookie mock drafts. With that being said, there’s nowhere to go but up. The cheap price tag limits his risk. If he completely busts, then you won’t be out much. Depending what’s on the board, Wadley is definitely worth a stab at his current price point.

He’s not an elite athlete and he will need to get drafted by the right team in order to receive a bump in value. The asking price for Wadley should remain on the cheap unless he proves to be a productive fantasy asset early in his career. The dominos will need to fall in the right location for that to happen.

CONCLUSION

Wadley has some talent but his rookie profile suggests that he’s not a dominant force. He’s worth taking a chance on as a mid to late round pick. If anything, he’ll be a trendy end-of-bench stash for your team. Due to his athletic profile, he’s going to be situationally dependent. Wadley will need to land in the right situation to be productive at the next level.

While cooking bacon, I like to hear a little pop and sizzle, because it indicates the bacon is starting to get nice and crispy. As a prospect, Wadley has some things he can hang his hat on, but he lacks the pop and sizzle from the necessary trans-fats to make him a sexy option in this year’s rookie drafts.

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bruce matson