Robert Ayers

[bakes781]

He definitely stood out at the Senior Bowl. I never thought of him at ILB, but I wouldn't rule him out at DE either.

 

[dryheat44]

I don't get it. He's undersized (for DE), unathletic (for LB), and only has one year of production. The last one is probably the most problematic...the dude underachieved his entire career until his last season.

I'll take Antonio Appleby, who has three productive years as a 3-4 ILB, Josh Mauga, with two productive years in the 3-4, or Jasper Brinkley much later.

For ILB conversion projects, I'd take Matt Shaughnessy, Ian Campbell, or Robert Francois much later.

I'd even take Laurenaitis first, and I'm not a huge Laurenaitis fan.

I just don't see the First Day value for Ayers to the Pats...and given how many others here are high on him, it's not for a lack of trying.

 

[mayoclinic]

I don't get it. He's undersized (for DE), unathletic (for LB), and only has one year of production. The last one is probably the most problematic...the dude underachieved his entire career until his last season.

I'll take Antonio Appleby, who has three productive years as a 3-4 ILB, Josh Mauga, with two productive years in the 3-4, or Jasper Brinkley much later.

For ILB conversion projects, I'd take Matt Shaughnessy, Ian Campbell, or Robert Francois much later.

I'd even take Laurenaitis first, and I'm not a huge Laurenaitis fan.

I just don't see the First Day value for Ayers to the Pats...and given how many others here are high on him, it's not for a lack of trying.

I think a little skepticism is health, especially coming from a seasoned hand such as yourself.

Ayers has clearly been identified as a riser since the Senior Bow, and seems to have gotten overhyped. Scott Wright's latest hot list has Ayers as the first hot prospect identified (along with BJ Raji, Jarron Gilbert, Louis Delmas, William Beatty, Clay Matthews and Larry English, among others):

Draft Countdown - Prospect Hot List

Wright notes: "After carrying the underachiever label early in his career Robert Ayers really emerged as a great pro prospect the past couple of years and people have begun to take notice the last few months. His career sack totals (9.0) aren't all that impressive but Ayers was the Vols best pass rusher and he did make a lot of impact plays behind the line of scrimmage, racking up 27.5 tackles for a loss as a junior and senior. Adding to Ayers' value is his versatility and depending on scheme he could realistically play defensive end, defensive tackle or outside linebacker at the next level. Ayers draft stock was already on the rise but a terrific week at the Senior Bowl has put him in contention to be a Day One pick and he may even be one of the Top 3 true defensive end prospects in this draft. In fact, his stock has risen so much that there are many who feel the first round is even within reach. "

I think Ayers is a solid 2nd round pick and late 1st may not be totally unreasonable. But NFP having him ranked #13 is extremely high. Our own DW Toys has him going #11 to Buffalo in a mock. While it's possible that someone may reach for him as a DE in this range, I don't see any Freeney or Suggs-like athleticism to justify such as high pick. Teams reached for Michael Haynes and Jerome McDougle in this range in 2003, but I really don't see it as likely.

I think Ayers is a solid 4-3 DE, but at 6-3 270# he probably won't get much bigger, and at 4.8 he's not particularly fast - more quick than fast. He has nice versatility and is good against blockers. But I'm not sure I see incredible 1st round talent there.

At 3-4 OLB it's possible that Ayers can make the transition, but I certainly like Barwin better as a prospect at that position, with superior speed, agility, and ability to play in space.

It's at SILB that I am personally intrigued by Ayers. He has experience at that position, is very strong taking on blockers, and has great inside quickness. He is heavier, stronger and more physical than Larry English or Clint Sintim (neither of whom are particularly fast either), and may have more physical upside. I am intrigued enough to give him a particularly hard look. If the Pats felt he could make the transition, I would be interested in him sometime in the 2nd round. But I'm not jumping on the hype machine to the point of labelling him a 1st round pick at this point.

 

[alvinnf]

Tennessee DE, 6'3", 270#, 4.75. Was originally recruited as an ILB out of high school, and has played some LB for Tennessee in addition to DL (both DE and DT). Didn't do too much his first 3 years but came on as a team leader and performer this past year. Was defensive MVP of the senior bowl. Good at taking on OLs and shedding blockers.

Does anyone see this guy as a potential SILB conversion? He played ILB coming out of high school, and has played some LB in college. Played with Mayo, who would probably have a good angle on him. Just a thought.

They asked William Moore who the most impressive player he saw at the senior bowl was? Robert Ayers.....

 

[dryheat44]

It's at SILB that I am personally intrigued by Ayers. He has experience at that position, is very strong taking on blockers, and has great inside quickness. He is heavier, stronger and more physical than Larry English or Clint Sintim (neither of whom are particularly fast either), and may have more physical upside. I am intrigued enough to give him a particularly hard look. If the Pats felt he could make the transition, I would be interested in him sometime in the 2nd round. But I'm not jumping on the hype machine to the point of labelling him a 1st round pick at this point.

See..I think that would be the best possible fit....but it's far from a sure thing. If he were there day two, I'd consider it, but I think, for example, Brinkley or Mauga have a much better chance at success, and it looks like they'll be available much later.

 

[mayoclinic]

See..I think that would be the best possible fit....but it's far from a sure thing. If he were there day two, I'd consider it, but I think, for example, Brinkley or Mauga have a much better chance at success, and it looks like they'll be available much later.

Of course it's far from a sure thing, and we shouldn't spend day 1 picks lightly, so the FO would have to be fairly convinced that Ayers had the potential to make the change in order to jump. Brinkley and Mauga will certainly be available much later, and for a reason - they don't have Ayers quickness, athleticism or upside.

So far I'm only saying that he deserves a hard look from the FO, and if they are convinced he can be a stud SILB then he is worth a day 1 pick.

 

[alvinnf]

he'd have to be the elephant. Inside not so much.

 

[Seneschal2]

It's at SILB that I am personally intrigued by Ayers. He has experience at that position, is very strong taking on blockers, and has great inside quickness. He is heavier, stronger and more physical than Larry English or Clint Sintim (neither of whom are particularly fast either), and may have more physical upside. I am intrigued enough to give him a particularly hard look. If the Pats felt he could make the transition, I would be interested in him sometime in the 2nd round. But I'm not jumping on the hype machine to the point of labelling him a 1st round pick at this point.

I'd also never consider him earlier than round two. And yes, he seems to be better suited as an inside player, when you consider his real strengths. I can't imagine him being a round one consideration (for the Pats) with only one solid year of production. Ascending players are acceptable (see Mayo), but BB will most likely require consistent production for most prospects -- especially in round one.

 

[mayoclinic]

I'd also never consider him earlier than round two. And yes, he seems to be better suited as an inside player, when you consider his real strengths. I can't imagine him being a round one consideration (for the Pats) with only one solid year of production. Ascending players are acceptable (see Mayo), but BB will most likely require consistent production for most prospects -- especially in round one.

One of the interesting thing about Ayers is that he did not perform terribly well at the combine, but it does not seem to have affected his hype coming off a strong Senior Bowl performance. His 40 time of 4.77 was pedestrian, as was his long jump of 8'6", 20 1/2" vertical, and 19 reps on the bench press. His 3-cone time of 7.58 was just better than that of OT William Beatty (7.62), a far cry from the 6.87 of Connor Barwin and 6.90 of Clay Matthews. And his 10 yard split time was 1.66, again closer to William Beatty (1.72) than to the top OLB candidates (1.56-1.59 for a dozen of the top candidates, both LBs coming out of college and DE/LB conversions).

So based on the combine, Ayers appears to be a nice-sized DL with average speed and below-average agility, which doesn't argue well for a conversion to OLB. However, on film he shows surprising quickness and agility. His strengths seem to be his quickness and ability to handle blockers, which is why I see him being suited more to SILB.

I'm intrigued by him as an SILB, but as of right now I don't see a top-20 prospect. At 47 or 58 I would give him a hard look, depending on who else is available.

 

[mayoclinic]

Tennesee had their pro day today, and Ayers posted a 3-cone time of 6.91 (compared to 7.58 at the combine) - not far off Connor Barwin's combine 3-cone time of 6.87.

Pro Day Notes | Drew's Notebook | GoVolsXtra.com

 

[mgteich]

I don't think we need worry about whether we should pick Ayers at 23; he won't be available.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

I don't think we need worry about whether we should pick Ayers at 23; he won't be available.

I keep wondering if Barwin will last to 23 too or if his one year on defense will scare teams into waiting into the second.

 

[alvinnf]

Watch youtube of Barwin and then Ayers. Barwin looks good gets good push and has one move the bull rush. Ayers on the other hand fights through and dominates doubles he has a spin, rip and inside delay for pass rush moves. Not to mention one guy plays in the SEC. Ayers is not an inside player. Maybe he was in HS but not now. I wonder if teams are seeing him as a tweener prospect.

 

[MetalBleachers]

Watch youtube of Barwin and then Ayers. Barwin looks good gets good push and has one move the bull rush. Ayers on the other hand fights through and dominates doubles he has a spin, rip and inside delay for pass rush moves. Not to mention one guy plays in the SEC. Ayers is not an inside player. Maybe he was in HS but not now. I wonder if teams are seeing him as a tweener prospect.

Barwin's a developmental project, which scares me in the first. He's such a good athlete that he should become a solid OLB in a year or so. Remember: he didn't play D until his senior year, then led the Big East in sacks.

Another conversion project, 1-2 rounds later:
Lawrence Sidbury, Jr.*|*Richmond,*DE*:*2009 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile

 

[Seneschal2]

Vols Pro Day

DL Robert Ayers
"I wanted to come out and show that I'm athletic enough to play in space and that I've got good hips and flexibility. From talking to the coaches, they feel like I did a good job. Every coach I talked to said they liked what they saw."

---

At 272, his flexibility is an important component to his position. Inside, outside -- wherever, the Pats could fill both spots this draft. Ayers is indeed one of the risers however, and even if the Pats aren't interested in him, his ascension will influence draft boards on day one.

I have one major question about potential prospects at #23: How important is career production for a Patriots first round pick? I ask because some are seriously being considered as the Pats first pick, yet only have one productive season coupled with impressive workouts. Is that enough for Belichick & Co. -- or do the Pats require more proven production?

 

[bakes781]

I have one major question about potential prospects at #23: How important is career production for a Patriots first round pick? I ask because some are seriously being considered as the Pats first pick, yet only have one productive season coupled with impressive workouts. Is that enough for Belichick & Co. -- or do the Pats require more proven production?

Great question. I would like to think production carries more weight than measurables, but I guess we'll find out in late April.

 

[dryheat44]

Vols Pro Day

---

At 272, his flexibility is an important component to his position. Inside, outside -- wherever, the Pats could fill both spots this draft. Ayers is indeed one of the risers however, and even if the Pats aren't interested in him, his ascension will influence draft boards on day one.

I have one major question about potential prospects at #23: How important is career production for a Patriots first round pick? I ask because some are seriously being considered as the Pats first pick, yet only have one productive season coupled with impressive workouts. Is that enough for Belichick & Co. -- or do the Pats require more proven production?

I would say it's probably #1 on the list. If a player doesn't have the college production, he's not even worth examining more closely.

 

[mayoclinic]

Vols Pro Day

---

At 272, his flexibility is an important component to his position. Inside, outside -- wherever, the Pats could fill both spots this draft. Ayers is indeed one of the risers however, and even if the Pats aren't interested in him, his ascension will influence draft boards on day one.

I have one major question about potential prospects at #23: How important is career production for a Patriots first round pick? I ask because some are seriously being considered as the Pats first pick, yet only have one productive season coupled with impressive workouts. Is that enough for Belichick & Co. -- or do the Pats require more proven production?

How much experience had Mayo had prior to his junior year? He was redshirted in 2004, played in 6 games (starting 1) in 2005, played at OLB in 2006 (83 tackles) and then got moved to ILB and exploded in 2007, with 140 tackles. He was billed as around 230#, but showed up at 242 at the combine and ran a 4.54. And we took him with the #10 pick.

Barwin and Ayers have similar records. Barwin has plenty of college experience and gamefilm, but only one year of experience on defense after moving from TE. Ayers played in 27 games in 2006-2007, though he didn't become a full-time starter until 2008.

I'm not sure I'd take either at 23 (at 34 I like both), but given what we did last year with Mayo I'm not sure we would require more "proven production" if the Pats thought either one was value at 23.

 

[mayoclinic]

Watch youtube of Barwin and then Ayers. Barwin looks good gets good push and has one move the bull rush. Ayers on the other hand fights through and dominates doubles he has a spin, rip and inside delay for pass rush moves. Not to mention one guy plays in the SEC. Ayers is not an inside player. Maybe he was in HS but not now. I wonder if teams are seeing him as a tweener prospect.

Why do you say that Ayers is not an inside player? Just because Tennessee had him outside at DE as his primary position? They also moved him around, including DT and ILB, and he did reasonably well at both. He has good inside moves, is stout against the run, and "fights through and dominates doubles". Not a bad start for an inside guy.

 

[bakes781]

How much experience had Mayo had prior to his junior year? He was redshirted in 2004, played in 6 games (starting 1) in 2005, played at OLB in 2006 (83 tackles) and then got moved to ILB and exploded in 2007, with 140 tackles. He was billed as around 230#, but showed up at 242 at the combine and ran a 4.54. And we took him with the #10 pick.

Barwin and Ayers have similar records. Barwin has plenty of college experience and gamefilm, but only one year of experience on defense after moving from TE. Ayers played in 27 games in 2006-2007, though he didn't become a full-time starter until 2008.

I'm not sure I'd take either at 23 (at 34 I like both), but given what we did last year with Mayo I'm not sure we would require more "proven production" if the Pats thought either one was value at 23.

You're right the con against Ayers is the similar to Barwin and therefore I would value them both at 34, but I value English at 23 because of the production.