Akrum Wadley had a hell of a career at Iowa. He topped 1,000 rushing yards in each of the past two seasons, scoring 10 touchdowns in 2016, and nine in 2017. Tack on over 300 receiving yards in each season and some return duties, and the dude was quietly one of the most productive backs in college football.
That sort of pedigree had many scouts buzzing, and most had him penciled in as a surefire mid-round draft pick.
But, it didn’t happen. Wadley went undrafted before ultimately signing with the Tennessee Titans. So, it begs the question: why didn’t anyone draft him?
Sources from a handful of teams gave a few reasons why Wadley went undrafted. They said that Wadley was a good athlete, but not dynamic one, and didn’t test that well. A few said his lack of size hurt him, leading one executive to say Wadley is just a guy at a dime-a-dozen position. A few team sources also said that the character evaluation had some concerns as well. Having the character concerns and being a running back who is not overly fast or overly powerful seem to have combined for Wadley to go unselected in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Welp – that’s pretty interesting to read. I sure didn’t read any character concerns before the draft, so I’m wondering exactly what that means. I mean, seriously – you can Google “Akrum Wadley character concerns” and this post from Walter Football is the only legit thing that pops up.
I’m all for players testing well at the combine, but I don’t think it’s wise to put too much stock into it. Bottom line is what happens on the field (film don’t lie, y’all), and you just need to make sure the athlete isn’t going to fall apart.
But, this could all be extremely fortuitous for Wadley, as he finds himself in quite a good spot. He’s a similar type of back to Dion Lewis, and Titans fans seem to be forgetting about Lewis’ extensive injury history. Wadley basically just has to beat out David Fluellen. And, he can contribute on special teams. So, if things fall right, then the kid could be playing come the Fall.
It’s interesting to read, for sure, but I’m looking at this thinking, “that’s it? That’s what kept him from getting drafted? That’s stupid.”
I’ll bet right now that Akrum Wadley makes the team.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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