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PACKERS SIGN DRAFT PICKS CHRIS AKINS, DONALD DRIVER TO 3-YEAR CONTRACTS
posted 06/02/99
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| Chris Akins |
The Green Bay Packers have signed safety Chris Akins of Arkansas-Pine Bluff and wide receiver Donald Driver of Alcorn State, their seventh-round selections in the 1999 National Football League draft, to three-year contracts, Executive Vice President/General Manager Ron Wolf announced today.
The 22-year-old Akins, 5-11 and 194 pounds, was a three-year collegiate starter - one year at the University of Arkansas before transferring in 1997 to Arkansas-Pine Bluff, where he started the past two seasons, earning selection to the All-Southwestern Athletic Conference team in '97, a season he punctuated with six interceptions. He also returned 1 interception and 1 fumble for touchdowns.
The possessor of 4.42 speed in the '40' and a 33-inch vertical jump, he totaled 156 tackles (83 solo), 12 interceptions, 25 passes defensed, 6 fumble recoveries and 9 stops for loss over his collegiate career. He posted four defensive scores along the way (3 interception returns and 1 fumble return).
Earlier, as a senior at Little Rock Hall High School, he was named Arkansas "Player of the Year" as a senior and also earned All-America, all-state and all-conference honors. In addition, he won three letters in track, twice being accorded all-state selection.
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| Donald Driver |
Driver, a deep threat and a world class track athlete, cleared 7 feet, 6-1/2 inches in the high jump to qualify for the Olympic trials in 1996, his leap rankling him No. 1 in the nation. He started the last two years for Alcorn State's Braves, snaring 55 passes for 1,128 yards and 10 touchdowns in 1998 after catching 21 passes for 556 yards and a remarkable 26.5-yard average in 1997, with 6 touchdowns.
In track, Driver was the SWAC champion (both indoor and outdoor) in the long jump, triple jump and decathlon, finishing second in the high jump. He repeated as the SWAC champion (indoor and outdoor) in the long jump and triple jump in 1997, again finishing second in the high jump, and was he 1998 SWAC champion (indoor) in the long jump and triple jump.
Akins and Driver are the first of the Packers' twelve 1998 draft selections to be signed.
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