Detroit Lions: A tight end for every round

Jordan Akins is another player that gave baseball a try before heading to football in college. Aikens, however, was a third-round pick of the Texas Rangers. After four seasons, he came to grips with the idea that it wasn’t going to happen. He enrolled at Central Florida as a wide receiver and tore his ACL. He put on muscle and moved to tight end for his Sophomore season. Akins is a smooth athlete in the passing game.

Akins needs work as a route runner. He just kind of runs the route without any effort to conceal his intent. He relies on his athleticism to get open. His blocking technique is about on that same level. He does everything you don’t want someone to do. Akins bends his waist rather than his knees to deliver blocks. He ducks his head before impact and loses sight of his target. He also weighed in at only 237 lbs at the combine. Akins is a move tight end, he’s never going to be a great blocker.

Long-term, Akins meshes very well with the skill set of Michael Roberts as a one-two punch. Roberts will never line up in the slot and Akins is not going to line up in line. At least, neither is going to fill those roles well. As a pair, however, Akins and Roberts can fill the Lions needs at the position for the next decade.

After four years of professional baseball, Akins is one of the older players in the draft, at 26. If not for his age, he would likely need to be higher on this list. He is also nursing a hamstring injury that is has prevented him from working out at the combine or the UCF pro day. He did have a private workout with the Lions on March 25 though. Some time on day three of the draft we may find out whether bob Quinn liked what he saw.