When Noah Spence was kicked off of the team following his second failed drug test for ecstasy in 2014, nobody would have predicted the former Buckeye would be a top-5 draft pick just two years later.
Now, the Eastern Kentucky star defensive end has put himself in position to complete a comeback usually reserved for movies, and the NFL start he envisioned when he first stepped foot onto campus in Columbus.
Spence was supposed to be a star for Ohio State, but made headlines in ways he never dreamed. Transferring after receiving addiction treatment, he got the kind of press a player in his position needs – none.
Not until the Senior Bowl did the college football watching world get another glimpse of Spence, and it was a glorious one. He dominated the Senior Bowl practices and received nothing but high marks on all aspects of his game.
At the combine, he didn’t perform as great as many hoped, but he didn’t fall flat either. During his pro day on March 4th, he did better, and relieved some of the worries teams may have developed.
Coached by the Jacksonville Jaguars’ coaching staff during the Senior Bowl, they had a front row seat to the player and the man, and know better than anyone the impact he can make on a squad. With no offensive linemen worth a top-5 pick left, the Buckeye turned Colonel should be donning the spots of a Jaguar at number five.
Previously: Ronnie Stanley – OT – Notre Dame
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