The Houston Texans should be excited for Jordan Akins for the 2020 season.
There is so much potential on the Houston Texans depth chart as the 2020 regular season nears. For the tight end position, one of those players is Jordan Akins, who is coming off his best season yet, but there is so much more ahead.
In his first two seasons in the NFL, Akins has collected 53 receptions for 643 yards and two touchdowns. In 2019 in sharing time at the position, Akins totaled 36 receptions for 418 yards and two touchdowns.
The now-third-year tight end averaged 11.6 yards per reception in 2019 and in his first two seasons is averaging 12.1 yards per reception. Akins has started to scratch the surface of his talent, and not only, that he’s learning from the veterans around him and just becoming the NFL player the Texans believed he could be when they selected him 98th overall in 2018.
One of the veterans Akins is learning from is Darren Fells. Last season, Fells stood out with 34 receptions for 341 yards and seven touchdowns. In what was his sixth season, Fells set a career high on touchdown receptions in his first year in a Texans uniform. Fells is a seasoned player in his time in the league, as he’s also played for the Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions and the Cleveland Browns.
Houston Texans News: Jordan Akins learning from Darren Fells before season
In learning from Fells, last week Jordan Akins spoke about talking with his Houston Texans teammate in preparation for this upcoming season, which starts on Thursday, Sept. 10 on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs:
"“Instead of just using my athleticism, I really just set aside and picked the brains of vets. I wanted to see how they think. Really, Darren Fells has been outstanding for me. I still talk to Jerell Adams, and I watched a lot of film.”"
Akins continued to talk about getting prepared for this season:
"“I kind of just found myself mentally, if that makes sense, for the game. I know my athleticism will speak for itself but that was my focus this offseason. I really was trying to see how the vets think and just put the athleticism and the mental together. It seems to be working out fine for me this year.”"
The Houston Texans might not have a superstar at tight end on their roster (yet), but they still have very high potential with Akins and his teammates to be successful and to get the job at hand finished.
Akins will surprise many on the national level in terms of his ability to be improved from a season ago. The Texans have not only Akins and Fells in the hunt for playing time at tight end, but there are also Jordan Thomas and Kahale Warring, too.
The tight end spot is still a position to watch closely, but maybe having extra focus on Akins will be a smart move for 2020.