A second round pick with first round talent, expectations are high for the EKU star by way of Ohio State. Bucs fans have been praying for a guy like Noah Spence to come in and be the sack savior of the defense. With a talent level as high as Spence’s, he could become one of the most feared pass rushers in the league. Again, could become.
It’s going to take time for him to develop into a monster on the line as defensive end is one of the toughest positions to transition to from college to the NFL. With defensive coordinator Mike Smith running a hybrid defense that caters to the strengths of his guys, Spence is in a very beneficial situation right out of the gate.
Spence will line up at 4-3 end as well as 3-4 outside linebacker and will be featured in passing situations, at least to start with. That’s his strength, that’s why he was drafted, let him focus on that as he develops into a three down end.
Fans that expect him to come out of the gate with eleven or twelve sacks are going to be disappointed and probably start calling him a bust immediately. Let’s all just slow down a bit and let the kid get to work. He isn’t going to be J.J. Watt overnight against this level of competition.
Now, that’s not to say he won’t get sacks and be disruptive, but temper the double-digit sack expectations in 2016 just a bit.
Noah Spence Sacks: Over/Under 6.5
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