Countdown to Camp: Demarcus Ayers

by Christina "Tina" Rivers (3Rivers_Writer) on July 18, 2017

Countdown to Camp is a series aimed at preparing fans for the Pittsburgh Steelers upcoming training camp by focusing on players who were on the 2016 roster. Each profile will include basic statistics and a hand selected highlight from last year.

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Demarcus Ayers	15
Position	Wide Receiver
Date of birth	July 7, 1994 (age 23)
Place of birth	Dallas, Texas
Height	5-9
Weight	182
High school	Lancaster (TX)
College	Houston
NFL Draft	2016 / Round 7 / Pick 229
Career	Pittsburgh Steelers (2016-present)

Demarcus Ayers was predicted by many NFL scouts to be a non-selection in the 2016 NFL Draft and considered to be little more than a special-teams, kick-return player and long-shot backup for any team that brought him into camp. This analysis came despite Ayers leading the American Athletic Conference in receptions (98) and a sixth-in-the-nation reception ranking; ranked 18th in the nation with 1,222 receiving yards.

The University of Houston product had his name called by the Steelers in the seventh round of the draft, however, and despite joining a very talented wide receiving corps in Pittsburgh, proved to be of value down the stretch.

With Martavis Bryant suspended and a rotation at WR out of necessity, the Steelers called on Ayers to perform to his strengths: creating doubt in cornerbacks with great head and shoulder motion and working hard in routes after accelerating off the line.

Ayers has great acuity in reading the field, something he shares with Antonio Brown when playing in space. He can credit his kick and punt return experience for some of that. Making defenders miss is a skill many NFL receivers struggle to put into their repertoire.

Anticipated to compete in the slot position, Ayers has good pop off the line and plays heads-up, especially one-on-one, and excels in drag and crossing routes. He has shown he can get defenders to over-commit and add a few extra yards to the play.

It’s a good start for a young receiver, but Ayers will need to show up at training camp ready to take his raw talent to the next level.