NEWARK -- In order to be ready for his future, Akrum Wadley is reliving his past.
About 20 hours after temporarily filling a locker two down from Eli Manning's at the Giants training facility, Wadley was back in the weight room at his alma mater, Weequahic High School.
Wadley pushed through the "Four Quarters" gauntlet Saturday morning - back-to-back-to-back-to-back treadmill, bench press, leg lifts and squats four times each - as he prepares to become a NFL running back in less than three weeks.
"Every time I step in here, I just get flashbacks from 2011-12, when I was here putting in all that work," Wadley told NJ Advance Media. "I always remember the grind, and it puts you in the mood to go hard because this is where it all started."
Wadley ranks in the career top 10 in rushing yards, all-purpose yards and scoring at the University of Iowa, and he trained earlier this year for the Senior Bowl, the NFL Combine and Iowa's Pro Day at EXOS Athletes' Performance Institute in Florida.
The strangest thing that has happened to him during the process? A NFL coach challenged him to three staring contests. Three!
"I was just going along with it," he said. "I didn't blink. It was a little weird."
But the two-time All-Big Ten honoree is home now and fresh off a surreal experience: Participating in local Pro Days for the Jets and Giants late last week.
"Just being around the coaches and the vibes, it gives me the chills when I step in a NFL locker room," Wadley said. "Just thinking about how it's been my dream to play in the NFL since I was a kid and now it's finally here. You can't pay for moments like that."
Close to home
The Jets asked Wadley to run a route tree out of the backfield. The Giants put him through running back drills and routes, and later he had a private chat with position coach Craig Johnson.
"We hit it off," Wadley said. "It was a get-to-know-you (talk)."
By including the New Jersey native in local day, the Giants and Jets did not have to use one of their NFL-capped 30 pre-draft prospect visits on Wadley.
The week was a taste of what life could be like if drafted by one of his home teams later this month. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Wadley is projected as a fifth- or sixth-round pick by NFL.com - a sign of concerns about his size, not production - but he wants better.
It's in his voice as he soaks in advice from fellow Newark native Tahir Whitehead of the Lions and former Iowa teammates playing in the NFL.
It's written all over Wadley's wincing face as Weequahic strength and conditioning coach Wesley Lee dictates the pace of "Four Quarters." Former teammate Keith Long participates, too, to provide a competitive push.
"Every workout is four quarters or more," Wadley said. "If it's a heavy workload day, it's plus overtime. It's a game simulator."
Wadley's parents are Giants fans, but he admits only to having been a fan of then-Vikings star Randy Moss fan growing up. Team allegiances are only trouble at this point.
"It would be a good thing," Wadley said of playing close to home, "but I feel like I don't care where I go as long as I get the opportunity. I know wherever I go, I'm going to produce -- and I'm going to be the man."
The next draft steal?
Wadley's confidence comes from a track record overcoming longshot odds. He slipped to No. 7 on the depth chart as a true freshman at Iowa and didn't break through until his redshirt sophomore season, years after many former high school stars in his situation would have transferred.
He has one class left -- and a plan to enroll in it in spring 2019 -- to earn his degree.
"I learned to work hard and be humble," Wadley said. "Your life can change in a second. I went from the back guy to the front guy; then I ended up in the doghouse; then I ended up back at the top. You could be living up here one day, and the next day it could all go away in a split second."
So he wasn't about to let up one day after his Jets and Giants introductions.
"While you are breathing hard!" Lee shouted. "It's the fourth quarter, I need a play."
"I always knew I'm not a guy with a big ego," Wadley said. "I like to work. People close to me are always telling me, 'You get out what you put in.' I knew was talented. I knew I could produce. It's a matter of me staying committed and sticking with it even when things get hard."
While Wadley isn't drawing the same hype as projected top 5 pick Saquon Barkley, he held his own with 155 all-purpose yards when Iowa lost to Penn State in September. Barkley had 358 in the same game.
"I'm an all-around player," Wadley said. "In college, I played offense, defense for a few (days) and special teams. I usually tell coaches, 'Put me anywhere,' but I'm a running back. I can catch out of the backfield. I can make people miss. I'm a playmaker."
Three months later, Wadley went out on a high as MVP of the Pinstripe Bowl.
In 2017, Alvin Kamara (Saints) won NFL Rookie of the Year honors and fellow rookie Kareem Hunt (Chiefs) led the NFL in rushing yards last season. Both backs were rookie third-round picks, and neither was handed a starting job.
Can Wadley be the next draft steal at running back?
"However it all pans out, I'm going to go into any organization and I'm going to produce, whether it's the practice squad or on the field," Wadley said. "From the bottom to the top, I'm going to always go hard. I'm ready to see what the future has in store for me."
Ryan Dunleavy may be reached at rdunleavy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.