Tennessee Titans Draft Pick Breakdown: Akeem Ayers

Name: Akeem Ayers
College: UCLA
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 254
40-time: 4.80

Pros: Ayers is a game changer, as he forced 13 turnovers at UCLA. He's also a solid pass rusher that opposing offensive lines will have fits with.

Perhaps one of the greatest things about Ayers is something you can't really coach, and that's determination. He was voted team captain at UCLA and never had any off-the-field issues.

Cons: One of the biggest knocks on Ayers from scouts is whether or not he'll be able to win the battles against two or three bigger offensive linemen.

His lackluster 40-yard dash time was 4.81, which isn't great for an NFL linebacker.

Blaize Pennington's Opinion: Akeem Ayers was a first-round-caliber pick in my mind. Circumstances of teams needed edge-rushing linebackers dropped him into the second.

The Titans got a fantastic, hard-working linebacker that hopefully can become the defensive captain in years to come.

Ayers may not be the fastest linebacker, but he has a nose for the ball and is possibly the biggest defensive playmaker to come out of the draft. In high school Ayers was a pretty good receiver, which has helped him become the perfect balance of coverage and pass-rushing linebacker.

The Titans are very weak at linebacker, and Ayers should start from day one. Just a side note of humor: Both of the Titans' top two picks wore No. 10 in college, which is Vince Young's number now. Both players are also expected to be the leaders on their side of the ball in years to come.

Chad Minton's Opinion: After the Titans decided to go quarterback with their first pick of the draft, there was no way they could wait any longer to address the linebacker position.

They took the best linebacker available in Ayers at that time of the draft, and it could end up being one of the bigger steals. At one point Ayers was rated as high as the 13th overall player in the draft class by ESPN, but he slipped after his showing at the NFL combine.

You can't let a mediocre combine performance overshadow all the great things Ayers did at UCLA. He was a proven leader who had the numbers to back it up.

The Titans are hoping to move Will Witherspoon to middle linebacker and work in Ayers as an outside linebacker so he has the potential to cover tight ends and rush the passer.

Ayers is athletic and talented enough to do both effectively, and this is an excellent pick for the Titans in the second round.

Other Draft Pick Breakdowns

1. Jake Locker, QB, Washington
2. Akeem Ayers, OLB, UCLA
3. Jurrell Casey, DT, USC