I liked Ayers coming out, but thought he would be drafted out of our range. As the draft approached his stock dropped due to concerns over whether he could process the game at the next level. That is interesting, because his best work came in NE, when he wasn't asked to read and react.
I think we need to see if he is as good as Dunbar vs the run, but Ayers offers plenty of value and was most definitely a 1st round talent coming out who was predicted to go mid 1st. He was snapped up at the top of the 2nd and played on a poor team, where they did not ask him to play to his strengths. His early career was also hampered by injury.
Pros
To me, he is what you want vs the pass. He can rush, with very good bend, strength and speed for his size. He can face off with TEs and jam them at the line and can also be asked to drop back into zone coverage, where he has playmaking ability, as a hitter and good hands if the ball comes into his area.
Cons
I wouldn't ask him to play man coverage vs elite TEs in space. He would get torched in our division. That said, he can stay in on 3rd downs, as I pointed out above. Has he improved his anchor vs the run? That is something to keep an eye on, because he would be a huge addition if he is even better than Dunbar in this department.
His scouting report is copied below....
http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/akeem-ayers?id=2495491
