Buccaneers Select Noah Spence, the Experts Weigh In
The experts have their say on the Buccaneers’ draft selection of DE Noah Spence.
For anyone just getting in tonight, the Buccaneers have selected Noah Spence with the 39th overall choice in the draft, their second round selection. They added a much-needed player off of the edge with the hope that he will help terrorize quarterbacks and give the secondary a little help.
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Let’s take a look at what the experts have to say.
First we have his former coach, Urban Meyer:
"“He’s not a lengthy defensive end pass rusher, but has Von Miller-type size. He brings it every day in the weight room and brings it every day on the practice field."
This is Kevin Weidel from ESPN on what Spence brings to the table:
"Spence is arguably the most natural edge rusher of this class and an ideal fit as a 3-4 outside linebacker. He’s not an elite athlete like Von Miller or Khalil Mack, but he has above-average initial quickness, quality bend and is an efficient hand fighter. Spence needs to continue to develop his instincts as a run defender but he shows the ability to stack the edge when playing with quality leverage. He is one of the bigger high-risk/high-reward prospects due to off-field red flags — he was dismissed from Ohio State for Ecstasy use."
Next is Steve Muench on how he fits:
"Tampa Bay needs to bolster a pass defense that finished dead last in opponent completion percentage (70.0), 31st in opponent passer rating (102.0) and tied for 25th in touchdown passes allowed last year. Adding corner Vernon Hargreaves in Round 1 and now Spence in the second should help bolster that pass defense. Spence is capable of making an immediate impact rushing the passer."
And here might not be an expert, but he is a former teammate:
"“He’s a great kid. Everyone makes mistakes,” said Joey Bosa, Spence’s former Buckeyes teammate who is likely to be the first defensive end taken with a top-five pick in the draft. “I made mistakes. It’s what you do with the second chance. As you see, he’s here, he’s being looked at as a first-round pick. So I think he did a great job with his second chance.”"
Next: Immediate Reaction to Noah Spence
That’s what the experts think, what say you?