Tennessee Titans: Noah Spence the pick at 33?
By John Laird
With almost all of the attention directed towards what the Tennessee Titans might do with the first overall pick in the upcoming draft, we’ll take a look at options available to the Titans with the second pick of the second round. There’s one name that does stand out at that spot.
With the New England Patriots losing a pick due to their role in Deflategate, the Tennessee Titans hold the 33rd pick instead of the 34th pick, basically making it the top pick in the second round. With that pick, there could still be some real value available to Jon Robinson and the Titans.
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Of those players that offer value, Noah Spence is a name that sticks out. Spence originally started his career at Ohio State University, and after getting booted from the program after multiple failed drug tests, the edge rusher found himself playing for Eastern Kentucky, an FCS program.
If it weren’t for his off the field issues, Spence would most likely be a top 15 pick come April. The talent is there, but front offices are questioning his personality, and rightfully so.
His final year with the Buckeyes, Spence posted a solid 8 sacks along with 64 tackles, showing improvement from his 2012 campaign. During his time with Eastern Kentucky, Spence was focusing on fixing his off the field issues while still dominating on it. He posted 11.5 sacks to go with 22.5 quarterback hurries and ended up being named Co-defensive player of the year in the Ohio Valley Conference, which was enough for Noah Spence to declare a year early for the NFL Draft.
Spence shows pretty good athletic ability while rushing the passer. He comes off the edge with aggression and possesses a great dip to bend around offensive tackles. He has good versatility as well, lining on both sides of the line, with his hand in the dirt or standing up, Spence appears to be comfortable anywhere you play him.
The Titans need some youth infused to their edge rushers. They have a solid combination in place with Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan, but having a young, talented player learning from two good players could get him ready to start a lot earlier.
Don’t forget that when Morgan went down with an injury last season, the Titans’ pass rush severely fell off, which is a cry for depth at the position. The pairing makes a ton of sense for both sides.
Tennessee has a defensive coordinator who is a blitz master, giving him another player who knows how to beat blocks and get to the passer can make Dick LeBeau a very happy man.
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The Titans are in full rebuild mode. They are trying to build pieces around franchise quarterback Marcus Mariota while trying to build on an improving defense. Look for the front office to go after the best pure player available after round 1, regardless of positon.