Excellent 3-Cone Drill Article

One thing a player can improve on is strength to a certain extent. Guys like jason jones and ayers can get stronger i doubt if smith can get faster.

My problem with smith is that he was slow in 3 major drills. We are talking about a first rd pick here and he is not a big corner at all.

 

I'm not going to read every word of every post but has gut touted evander hood at all? A 300 lb DT who lifted 34 times might be just what we need.

 

LOL yes Obi Wan I did get those figures from Draft Scout.

Ayers was stuck behind Jerrod Mayo prior to last season and didn't see much playing time. As we saw last season Mayo is a very good player.Last season was the first that Ayers had a starting role.

 

Um...

ASmith might not be able to get faster, but he probably could improve his other 2 times with more training. After all, your boy Ayers knocked .51 off his Cone drill and he's a DE. Plus, it's more important how your numbers translate onto the field. He plays fast!

I'm less concerned with his shuttle and cone than I am with his vertical...which is why I think he slips to round 2. If he has a 40" vertical, he'd still be viewed as a late 1st pick.

Ayers can get stronger. The question is...WHY isn't he stronger. A lot of scouts think he's only playing hard to get an NFL contract and coasted his first couple of years (which is why he didn't start til his senior year). Is he gonna be ultra-dedicated to getting vastly stronger and doing everything he can to be the best DE possible?

And what's his upside? If his speed is about 4.85...that's slow. His upside may very well be as a run stopping LDE. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't take one of those in rnd 1.

You still think Ayers is worth our 30th pick...even with his lack of strength, lack of motivation, lack of speed, and lack of production?

Gut

 

Well...

I'll keep it short...

I'd take him in rnd 2. He's got the athleticism, size and tenacity...but his lack of production last year is a big question mark.

Gut

 

So...

First off, Mayo played OLB and moved to MLB I believe his junior year. This season Ayers was moved all over the place. Surely if you have 2 defenders in the front 7 who will be first or second round draft picks for the NFL, you get them both on the field at the same time. So Mayo is more of a OLB/MLB and Ayers is more of a DE/DT...so why couldn't he get starts? How many other players in the Vols front 7 are first or second rnd draft picks?

I think you get the point...

Gut

 

Lack of production? Hood had 52 tackles and 5 sacks. Solid production for a DT.

Yes versatile that's why he will be a good pick.

 

Um...

The above numbers are from 2007. Last season, he only managed 23 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in 2008. Not production befit a first rnd pick, especially with his athleticism. The fact that he had double the production the year before is a big question mark.

Versatile doesn't make you a first rnd pick. It's nice to have and gives you a fall back if you strike out at one position, but that's like playing not lose. So he could be a good 3 technique tackle if he adds 20lbs. I'm not sure he has the frame to carry that and he's not that fast to begin with. So right now you'd have to say he's a run stopping DE who can come inside on pass rushing downs. He would help the team, but not as a first rnd pick. Alex Mack at OC would be a more important player along with a handful of others who could be there. Take Barwin...whom I'd take over Ayers...not for his versatility, but because he's a better player AND has more upside.

Gut

 

I think nfl draft scout uses a hand held clock and takes either the average of the times run or the average between the 2 hand held times. Nfl draft countdown and great blue north uses the same times because they show a 4.80 which would be an average between what nfl draft scout shows as his fastest time 4.68 and slowest time 4.92.

Again for the hundredth time of all 46 defensive linemen who ran at the combine only one player one one one who is 270 lbs or larger ran a better 40 than robert ayers. Ayers is 272 lbs.

The combine numbers are typically slower than other times such as pro days and this year the first on that turf in that venue had slower times on average from other combines. When there isn't a single RB or CB running inside of 4.45 that says something.

Marks the auburn DT who was projected by many to be a 4.90-4.95 guy ran a 5.09 at the combine.

Mcgee another DT ran a full .21 faster at his pro day than his combine. Did he grow faster legs? Of course not and anyone who has a brain knows that.

46 D-line players ran at the combine. Any comparisons made between any of them should be from their combine times. Anything else is dishonest.