The Chargers have added another Florida State product to the secondary in safety Akeem Dent. Can he push through to join his former Seminoles on the active roster?
Akeem Dent is a born and raised Florida boy hailing from the town of Pahokee. He starred at Palm Beach Central High School, recording six interceptions, three forced fumbles, and 148 total tackles over his junior and senior seasons. Over that span, he was a two-time Sun Sentinel Palm Beach County Defensive Player of the Year and an Under Armour All-American. After being ranked as the No. 4 safety in the country and a five-star prospect by Rivals.com, Dent chose to continue his career at Florida State, picking them over offers from both Alabama and Miami.
Dent started five games as a true freshman while playing a role in 13 contests total. He recorded 35 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and seven pass breakups. He earned a full-time job ahead of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, starting five games amongst the seven played that year. However, his final stat line of 13 tackles and one pass breakup was a bit underwhelming.
His production took an upward turn in 2021 with career highs in tackles (42), pass breakups (five), and his first collegiate interception while starting eight of 10 games. He stacked on even more tackles in 2022 with 53, but only notched four more pass breakups and a half tackle for loss.
Dent’s final year with the Seminoles was the team’s most successful during his five-year career, but it was an underwhelming cherry on top for his production ahead of the NFL draft. He recorded 42 tackles, a career-high two tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, but only managed one pass breakup. He ended his career with 18 pass breakups in five years but snatched only interception in 54 games.
Following the 2024 NFL Draft, Dent signed a UDFA contract with the Chargers.
Basic Info
Height: 6’1
Weight: 191
College: Florida State
Experience: Rookie
Years with team: Zero
Contract Status
“Akeem Dent signed a 3 year , $2,835,000 contract with the Los Angeles Chargers, including $5,000 signing bonus, $5,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $945,000.” – Spotrac.com
The Good
Played a lot of football at Florida State with 40 career starts in 54 games played. Starter for four years after being a rotational player in 2019.
Five-star pedigree coming out of high school. Tested well at his pro day. Reportedly ran a 4.38 in the 40 and had a three-cone drill time under 7.00 seconds.
Has the versatility to play deep, in the box, and in the slot, although the latter is the least ideal of the three. Triggers and comes downhill fast when playing deep. Will look for a kill shot over the middle.
#FSU S Akeem Dent (6’1, 197) can bring the hammer pic.twitter.com/TCQoJxTBQh
— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) May 6, 2022
The Bad
Undersized (reportedly truly under 6’0 despite what roster says) and doesn’t bring the consistent stopping power behind his pads when stopping the run.
Struggles to move laterally and change of direction leaves a lot to be desired. Was not super productive at Florida State (one career interception). Only two seasons where he recorded multiple pass breakups.
Odds of making the roster/What to expect in 2024?
On the face, Dent seems like a guy who should have been drafted with at least a dart throw on day three, but a deeper dig shows us a guy who really underwhelmed compared to the resume he had coming out of high school. He was good enough to see the field early on, but then what did that lead to? He was a starter, but at the same time he was sort’ve a JAG (just a guy) on his own team.
Dent has the long speed and experience to be given all the opportunity in the world to break into a shallow safety room, but he’ll have to show out in the preseason and training camp to prove he has the chops to bring the physicality needed for his position in the NFL.
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