ESPN's Scouts Inc. take on Ainge with daily practice evaluations down at The Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. Thought you guys may want to check it out. I can keep posting his daily evaluation if anyone is interested.
Erik Ainge
Height 6-5½ -- Excellent height. Has no problem seeing over linemen and doesn't have many passes batted down at the line of scrimmage.
Weight 225 -- Adequate bulk and frame to get bigger.
Speed 5.00 -- Marginal speed in the 40-yard dash. His lack of elusiveness and overall mobility are seriously concerning.
Intelligence -- Much improved as a decision-maker. Displays good football intelligence and was able to pick up new scheme as junior when more focused after shaky sophomore season.
Toughness -- Has played through some injuries and is very competitive, but verdict is still out regarding overall toughness.
Strength/Flex -- Below average in both categories. Strength is improving but still not ideal. He is not an overly flexible athlete, which has led to some injury problems.
Durability -- Avoided any serious injuries as a senior, but multiple injuries earlier in career -- shoulder in 2004, ankle in 2006 and torn meniscus in right knee in spring of 2007 -- create long-term durability concerns.
Character -- Is much more mature than earlier in career. Comes from sports family -- uncle Danny Ainge played 14 seasons in NBA and is currently Celtics' executive director of basketball operations.
Production -- Had his best season as a senior, leading the Vols to a SEC East title while throwing for 3,522 yards with 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
PRACTICE NOTES
Monday (1/21/08): Ainge was a last-minute addition to the South roster, which only adds to an already nerve-racking experience. To his credit, Ainge seemed like the most poised of the three South quarterbacks. He has a quick, compact delivery and displayed good overall touch and accuracy on short-to-intermediate passes. However, longer throws can be a challenge for the former Volunteer QB and his mechanics are inconsistent when throwing down the field. Also, Ainge doesn't always know when to put zip on the ball or when to put air under it. He had a wide-open receiver breaking down the seam on a post route, but instead of driving it on a frozen rope,Ainge lobbed it with a high-arching trajectory and gave the safety time to get back into the play. This is a trend scouts are certain to study during the week of practice.
Tuesday (1/22/08): Ainge took a step backwards today. After displaying above-average accuracy during Monday's practice, Ainge couldn't seem to find the strike zone Tuesday afternoon. Also, Ainge's two biggest flaws were more evident than ever with the intensity ratcheted up several levels during the full-pad session. His feet are painfully slow and he struggles to get set quickly enough on drops as a result. Ainge shows very limited ability when it comes to avoiding the rush and making plays outside the pocket. He also lacks arm strength, which creates accuracy problems because his mechanics change when he's trying to put zip on any throws beyond 15 yards. It was very apparent during Tuesday's afternoon session why Ainge was the final alternate selected to play in this game -- he is nothing more than a late-round prospect right now in our opinion.
Erik Ainge
Height 6-5½ -- Excellent height. Has no problem seeing over linemen and doesn't have many passes batted down at the line of scrimmage.
Weight 225 -- Adequate bulk and frame to get bigger.
Speed 5.00 -- Marginal speed in the 40-yard dash. His lack of elusiveness and overall mobility are seriously concerning.
Intelligence -- Much improved as a decision-maker. Displays good football intelligence and was able to pick up new scheme as junior when more focused after shaky sophomore season.
Toughness -- Has played through some injuries and is very competitive, but verdict is still out regarding overall toughness.
Strength/Flex -- Below average in both categories. Strength is improving but still not ideal. He is not an overly flexible athlete, which has led to some injury problems.
Durability -- Avoided any serious injuries as a senior, but multiple injuries earlier in career -- shoulder in 2004, ankle in 2006 and torn meniscus in right knee in spring of 2007 -- create long-term durability concerns.
Character -- Is much more mature than earlier in career. Comes from sports family -- uncle Danny Ainge played 14 seasons in NBA and is currently Celtics' executive director of basketball operations.
Production -- Had his best season as a senior, leading the Vols to a SEC East title while throwing for 3,522 yards with 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
PRACTICE NOTES
Monday (1/21/08): Ainge was a last-minute addition to the South roster, which only adds to an already nerve-racking experience. To his credit, Ainge seemed like the most poised of the three South quarterbacks. He has a quick, compact delivery and displayed good overall touch and accuracy on short-to-intermediate passes. However, longer throws can be a challenge for the former Volunteer QB and his mechanics are inconsistent when throwing down the field. Also, Ainge doesn't always know when to put zip on the ball or when to put air under it. He had a wide-open receiver breaking down the seam on a post route, but instead of driving it on a frozen rope,Ainge lobbed it with a high-arching trajectory and gave the safety time to get back into the play. This is a trend scouts are certain to study during the week of practice.
Tuesday (1/22/08): Ainge took a step backwards today. After displaying above-average accuracy during Monday's practice, Ainge couldn't seem to find the strike zone Tuesday afternoon. Also, Ainge's two biggest flaws were more evident than ever with the intensity ratcheted up several levels during the full-pad session. His feet are painfully slow and he struggles to get set quickly enough on drops as a result. Ainge shows very limited ability when it comes to avoiding the rush and making plays outside the pocket. He also lacks arm strength, which creates accuracy problems because his mechanics change when he's trying to put zip on any throws beyond 15 yards. It was very apparent during Tuesday's afternoon session why Ainge was the final alternate selected to play in this game -- he is nothing more than a late-round prospect right now in our opinion.