Buccaneers: Noah Spence garnering national attention

Recently, Buccaneers second year defensive end Noah Spence got some love on the Around The NFL Podcast.

Noah Spence is a budding star for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As Alan Schechter has pointed out here and here, Spence has all the makings of a superstar in this league. Now, it appears as if some national pundits are beginning to take note.

Marc Sessler of NFL.com, NFL Network, and the Around The NFL Podcast seems to be very high on the second year player. On the most recent episode, Sessler had this to say when naming Spence as one of his players that will “make a leap” in 2017;

"“Gerald McCoy picked Spence to have a break out year. Robert Ayers picked him to be a fifteen-plus sack guy per year. I watched a little bit of him and he showed some flashes. I think, along with Kwon Alexander, I think there’s a lot of talent on that defense that – down the stretch, overall, the Bucs were not a great unit but they had games where they were really stingy.I like players that work hard all the time. He’s cut ten pounds, they’re saying he’s in the film room all the time, they can’t get him out of the facility. These things are sometimes the DNA of a good year.”"

Spence is a player that Bucs fans are extremely high on – and for good reason. We saw the flashes last season and he was outstanding in college. Now, he’s recovered from a torn labrum which he played most of 2016 with and is in phenomenal shape.

With the continuing 3-4 theories floating around, it won’t come as much of a surprise if we see Spence do some pass rushing from the outside linebacker position in a 3-4 alignment, but Spence is also focused on becoming a complete player along the defensive line in the traditional 4-3.

Next: In-Depth Look At Crucial Kicking Battle

Noah Spence isn’t only one of the top Buccaneers to keep an eye on this season, but he’s one of the top players in the NFL that people should take notice of as he is primed to make a big leap in his sophomore season.