Robert Ayers sacks Wisconsin's Tyler Donovan in the 2008 Outback Bowl.

AP photo / Steve Nesius

With the NFL Draft slated for April 25-26, this is the 28th of daily looks at a player who could be on the New England Patriots’ radar. All profiles can also be found at projo.com/patriots.

Player: Robert Ayers, Tennessee

Height and Weight: 6-foot-3, 272 pounds

Position: Defensive end/outside linebacker

Hometown: Clio, S.C. (Marlboro County HS)

Senior year: 49 tackles (34 solo), 3 sacks, 15 ½ tackles for loss, interception

Career: 113 tackles (79 solo), 9 sacks, 31 ½ tackles for loss

Honors: Second-team All-SEC

NFL Combine

4.77 seconds (40-yard dash)

18 reps (bench press)

29 ½ inches (vertical leap)

8-foot-6 (broad jump)

Is he a fit for the Patriots?

Ayers is another hybrid player who would slide back to outside linebacker in New England’s 3-4 defense, and if he’s anything like his former roommate, Jerod Mayo, he’s likely a keeper. But opinion on where Ayers will end up is all over the place – some draft experts have him as a top-10 pick, while others say he’ll go late in the first round.

Ayers’ time with the Volunteers was just as inconsistent. A top prospect coming out of high school, former Tennessee coach Philip Fulmer said Ayers entered the school thinking he was “God’s gift to football” and didn’t always listen to the upperclassmen or take to coaching that well. But he rededicated himself before his senior season and was one of the few bright spots on the team last year.

Now a rising prospect with a lot of potential, scouts say Ayers is powerful, with good lower-body strength and a good initial hand punch. He has an upfield burst and lateral quickness, and varies his speed to surprise opposing linemen. However, he lacks an elite first step and the straight-line speed to be a true edge rusher.

smanza@projo.com