Akeem Ayers
 Ayers with the St. Louis Rams in 2015 | |||||||||||
| No. 56 Los Angeles Rams | |||||||||||
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| Position: | Outside linebacker | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Date of birth: | July 10, 1989 | ||||||||||
| Place of birth: | Raleigh, North Carolina | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 255 lb (116 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Los Angeles (CA) Verbum Dei | ||||||||||
| College: | UCLA | ||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2011 / Round: 2 / Pick: 39 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 15, 2015 | |||||||||||
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Akeem Christopher Ayers (born July 10, 1989) is an American football linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft and has also played for the New England Patriots. He played college football at UCLA.
High school career
Ayers attended Verbum Dei High School in Los Angeles, where he played for the Verbum Dei Eagles high school football team. He won a CIF championship during his senior season.
College career
Akeem Ayers played for UCLA in college. Ayers is known for his athletic interceptions for touchdowns, one in the 2009 season against Oregon and one against Temple in the 2009 EagleBank Bowl. The latter was the game-winning score of the bowl game and helped him earn him MVP honors.[1] In a post-game interview, he admitted that he slipped, and was just trying to rush the passer on his game-changing play. As he got up, he saw the quarterback looking to pass, jumped up, and pulled in the pass for an interception and score.
On September 18, 2010, Ayers had a key interception against #23 Houston in UCLA's first win against a ranked opponent since 2008.[2] The following week on September 25, he played a key role in the Bruins' second upset against a ranked opponent in a victory over No. 7 ranked Texas Longhorns 34–12 in front of more 101,000 fans in Austin, Texas. Ayers had a key interception, seven tackles, a forced fumble and a sack. He was named Lott IMPACT Player of the Week on September 27. At the end of the 2010 season, his junior year, he declared for the NFL draft.[3]
| Year | Total Tackles | Solo Tackles | Sacks | Tackles for Loss | Interceptions | DefTD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 40 | 28 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | 75 | 55 | 6 | 13.0 | 4 | 3* |
| 2010 | 68 | 45 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 183 | 128 | 13 | 29.5 | 6 | 3 |
*Had two interceptions for touchdown and one fumble recovery for touchdown
Professional career
NFL Draft
| Ht | Wt | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2½ in | 254 lb | 33 in | 9 in | 4.70 s | 1.62 s | 2.83 s | 4.28 s | 7.19 s | 34 1⁄2 in | 9 ft 5 in | 22 reps | ||||||||
| All values from UCLA Pro Day[4] | |||||||||||||||||||
Tennessee Titans
Ayers was selected 39th overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2011 NFL Draft.[5]
New England Patriots
On October 21, 2014, the Titans traded Ayers along with a seventh round draft pick in the 2015 NFL Draft to the New England Patriots for a sixth round draft choice.[6]
In each of his first two games with New England, Ayers recorded a sack.
Ayers won Super Bowl XLIX with the Patriots after they defeated the Seattle Seahawks 28-24.
St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams
On March 12, 2015, Ayers signed a two-year contract with the St. Louis Rams.[7]
References
- ↑ https://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/ucla-bruins-temple-owls-200912290015/
- ↑ "UCLA-Houston Game Notes". 2010-09-18. Retrieved 2010-09-28.
- ↑ http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/akeem-ayers?id=2495491
- ↑ "Akeen Ayers". nfl.com. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
- ↑ Tennessee Titans select Akeem Ayers
- ↑ Patra, Kevin (October 21, 2014). "Titans trade linebacker Akeem Ayers to Patriots". NFL.com. Retrieved 2014-10-21.
- ↑ Former Patriot Akeem Ayers Signs Two-Year Contract With Rams
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com • ESPN • Pro-Football-Reference
- St. Louis Rams bio
- Tennessee Titans bio
- UCLA Bruins bio
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