2011 NFL Draft: LB Akeem Ayers Would Fit Perfectly as a New England Patriot

Defensively, what have the New England Patriots been lacking over the past couple of seasons?

For starters, a dominant pass rusher. Secondly, an every-down outside linebacker. 

Ever since the days of Mike Vrabel and Willie McGinest, the Patriots haven't had an every-down outside linebacker.

Nowadays, they're subbing players like Jermaine Cunningham, Rob Ninkovich and Tully Banta-Cain in and out.

With the 2011 NFL draft only two weeks away, New England's scouting department must be swamped with profiles and scouting reports of hundreds of prospects.

One of those prospects is likely UCLA's outside linebacker Akeem Ayers, who is ranked fairly high on my Patriots draft board.

Strengths

Ayers is an every-down outside linebacker—he can play in all types of situations. He's great at rushing the quarterback (11 sacks in three years), stout against the run and a playmaker while dropping back into coverage (six interceptions in three years). 

The most intriguing trait about Ayers is his athleticism—he is very athletic not only for his position, but his size (6'4", 255 pounds).

The common thought among scouts and experts is that he's a perfect fit for a 3-4 defense, playing as an outside linebacker, which is great news for Bill Belichick and company. 

Ayers has a solid arsenal of pass rushing moves and has the potential to develop into an elite pass rushing linebacker due to his quality 4.8 40-yard dash time. 

Ultimately, Ayers matches up well against any blocker, whether it's a 330-pound offensive tackle or a running back—he can beat his blocker.

Weaknesses

Ayers needs to strengthen his ability to diagnose plays, since he's sometimes caught over pursuing, but that's fixable. 

He isn't overly fast, but he's got a great first step and his agility is great, too. 

Some other minor issues include a tendency to occasionally struggle to get off blockers and the need to improve his tackling skills—like the majority of prospects this year.

Conclusion

If I were close to Belichick in his scouting department, I would strongly advise him to draft Ayers.

New England hasn't had an athletic, every-down outside linebacker in years and Ayers could be the long-term answer. 

He'll likely be available at 17th overall, possibly even at 28th. Either way, I believe Belichick will have a hard time passing on Ayers. He offers great versatility and athleticism. 

In last year's draft, Belichick drafted Rutger's cornerback Devin McCourty.

Most scouts believed that McCourty would develop into a decent cornerback and a great special teams player due his speed. However, Belichick saw much more in McCourty than his speed. He saw his athleticism, and the same could be said about Ayers—he is a very athletic player and has some natural abilities that can be polished into elite NFL productivity. 

I am a big fan of Ayers and I believe that he would fit perfectly into New England's 3-4 defense. Belichick should think long and hard about him, as he could be a cornerstone of the team's young defense for many seasons to come. 

NOTE: This article was first seen at PatriotsPlus.net. Be sure to follow Tony Santorsa on Twitter @  TonySantorsa.