Akins declared for the 1999 NFL Draft, where he went unsigned. The Buffalo Bills later signed him to fill their final roster slot at wide receiver in training camp.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats Within a week of being cut from the Bills, Akins was signed by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to their
practice squad. After
Curtis Jackson was released from the Tiger-Cats, Akins was moved to the active roster to replace him as part of the punt and kick return rotation. On September 12, Akins made his CFL debut against the
Montreal Alouettes, where he averaged 21 yards on kick returns. Akins was named Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in an October game against the
Winnipeg Blue Bombers, where he caught eight passes for 257 yards and four touchdowns. In early November, he was named Special Teams Player of the Week after returning three kicks for over 100 yards. The Tiger-Cats won the
87th Grey Cup with Akins contributing four catches for 43 yards. Akins returned to the Tiger-Cats for the 2000 season. In July, he returned a punt from
Lui Passaglia 65 yards for a touchdown. In mid-September, Akins started in place of the injured
Darren Flutie, but he was later moved to the practice squad in October. He returned for the final game of the regular season and returned a punt for his second 65-yard touchdown of the season. The Tiger-Cats lost the East Semi-Final 22–20 to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers after an offensive interference penalty was assessed on Akins in the final minutes of the game. The
Hamilton Spectator described the penalty as "ill-deserved". Akins finished the season sixth in the CFL with 393 punt return yards. He was also the league leader in punt return touchdowns. On December 12, 2000, the Tiger-Cats announced that they had re-signed Akins. Instead, Akins made the regular season roster and regularly started at wide receiver for the first time in his career. Due to Akins' speed, he was moved to the slotback position in August. He later lost his starting position to wide receiver
Corey Grant but continued to see regular playing time. Akins was held out of two games entirely near the end of the season to allow offensive lineman
Gary Brown to return from the injured list. Akins' role as a receiver increased in the 2001 season, and he finished his season with 29 catches for 461 receiving yards. Conversely, his role as a kick and punt returner decreased substantially. Akins averaged 5.1 yards per punt return and 15.5 yards per kickoff return, decreasing from 10.3 yards and 24.0 yards in the 2000 season, respectively. Akins became a free agent before the 2002 season. The Montreal Alouettes expressed interest in signing Akins, but he decided to re-sign with the Tiger-Cats in May shortly before a deadline imposed by head coach
Ron Lancaster. In a pre-season game, Akins suffered a collarbone injury when a player's face mask was driven into his chest. He returned in mid-July. In his second game of the season, Akins scored three touchdowns. He scored in each of the two following games as well. Akins' success was interrupted in late August when he re-injured his collarbone with deep bruising. After Akins returned, he caught an 84-yard touchdown while accumulating 150 receiving yards against the Alouettes. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats did not qualify for the playoffs in 2002, but Akins had his most successful season, catching 38 receptions for 732 yards and 7 touchdowns. All three values were career-highs for the wide receiver. He was moved around in various positions throughout the season. Before the beginning of the season, Akins was designated the starting slotback, but he quickly lost the job to
Trevor Shaw. He was later moved back to his original position at wide receiver. After missing games due to leg and knee injuries, Akins finished the season with 482 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Season statistics == Personal life ==