The New England Patriots reportedly signed fifth-round draft choice Hakim Akbar to a two-year contract, making him the first of the Class of 2001 to ink a deal with the team.
According to the Boston Globe, the contract is reportedly worth close to $600,000 and includes a signing bonus of around $75,000. The 20-year old from the University of Washington did not attend the team’s three-day minicamp earlier this month because he was still attending classes.
He is considered to be a hard-hitting safety similar to teammate Lawyer Milloy, although many scouts felt he was a little too aggressive. Some of those same scouts however felt that a good coaching staff may be able to turn him into a Pro Bowl-caliber safety.
Last season Akbar was an All-American first-team selection by The NFL Draft Report and CNN/Sports Illustrated, adding honorable mention from College Football News. He was also an All-Pac 10 Conference first-team choice.
Akbar lined up at strong safety for the first eight games last year before shifting to free safety when his teammate Curtis Williams suffered a career-ending spinal cord injury. He led the team with 97 tackles (54 solos), including five stops for losses of 16 yards. He also intercepted two passes for 31 yards in returns and deflected six others. He Also recovered a pair of fumbles.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
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