Akeem Ayers (#10) highlights lowlights vs Oregon One of UCLA's biggest games of the year. Lets just say it wasn't pretty. Taking bad angles in pursuit seems to be a very bad habit Ayers will have to correct. Pros: Elite athlete. Great speed and strength. Freakish athletic wingspan. Long arms. Elite lateral agility, chases down plays very well. Long arms... picked off two passes for touchdowns by batting then catching passes in the air and can make tackles while blocked because of his long arms -- dude can simply fly. Flashes the ability to get off a block and make a play. Good technique against the run... gets leverage and can disengage nicely when he is not playing at the line of scrimmage. Rare versatility for the position.. great fit in a 3-4. Can get after the QB, drop into coverage, stop the run, bat balls down, play anywhere on the defensive line.. very alterable. Terrific pass rusher... surprsingly good first step. UCLA used his versatility to their advantage.. was recruited as a DE. Good wrap up tackler.. limits yards after contact and can drive people back. Nice short area quickness and closing speed.. pretty agile. Cons: Played near the line of scrimmage and blitzed very often which greatly inflated his stats... will likely not be used in the same way at the next level as he did in UCLA - was used as a DE/LB hybrid. Very below average production for a first round pick... only had 45 solo tackles -- the only recent drafted 1st round linebackers with comparable solo tackles to Ayers the last 7 years are Robert Ayers, Bobby Carpenter, Vernon Gholson, and Kamerion Wimberley whom have all underachieved in the NFL. Can go through long stretches of game and be a complete non factor. Makes flashy plays but disappears in games too often. Struggles to disengage from blocks consistently.. can be easily washed out of plays and driven out of holes opening huge lanes for backs to exploit. Instincts are very below average for a first round pick... not a playmaker against the run; likes to stay in his lane instead of taking chances, rarely does ayers diagnose plays. Not someone who is going to make many plays consistently in the backfield in the NFL. Very inconsistent discipline overall against the run, can bite on play-action too easily and makes a poor effort to recover. Has a tendency to overrun the play when playing the traditional LB role... cutback lanes are easily exploited by HBs as he also bites on misdirections from time to time. His motor isn't great when away from the play. Style of play doesn't translate well in the NFL, not much of a disruptive LB at all against the run. Overall lack of ideal instincts may cause him to get misevaluated because his stats suggest he has great instincts, may be nothing more than an average player in the NFL if not used correctly. Very questionable awareness in zone coverage.. takes some missteps. Although he has very good speed and agility to have the potential keep up with TEs in coverage, backpeddal is inconsistent, and hardly plants his foot to break on the ball.. will struggle at the next level in zone coverage and needs refinement. Wasn't used much in man coverage in UCLA .. lacks experience and reps in that area and will likely not fair well in the NFL because of his poor fundementals. Will have a tough rookie season due to his lack of experience in coverage overall.. was mostly rushing the passer on 3rd down. Not the linebacker you're looking for if you want an instinctive, high motor, intense, all over the field ; always around the ball LB. Will likely be nothing more than an average football player in the NFL if his rare versatility isn't used to its advantage. Wasn't much of a disprutive, dominant player for opposing offenses for the majority of his games in 2010... can make plays in some stretches of a game but not a linebacker clubs had to gameplan around consistently. Scouts will have to make the tough choice if whether his lack of ideal instincts and poor ability in coverage shown at UCLA was more because of the ways he was utilized in UCLA with his lack of reps or not. Has the potential to be a disappointment... might be overrated as a top 15 pick. Value should be in low 1st/high 2nd NFL Teams: (Detroit Lions 75%, St. Lious Rams 10%, Jacksonville Jaguas 5%, San Diego Chargers 5%, New York Giants 2.5%, Kansas City Chiefs 2.5%) NFL Comparison: Aaron Curry - The biggest comparison Akeem ayers is linked with is Aaron Curry. Aaron Curry was noted by many as the best player in the 2009 draft as he was used in a very much alike role that helped him make a lot of flashy plays combined with his athleticism similar to Ayers. Just like Curry, Akeem Ayers lack of aggressiveness and instincts versus the run remains a question scouts will have to determine. Recent linebackers similar to Ayers have not lived up to their draft status in the NFL.

• published: 23 Feb 2011
• views: 8390