Countdown to Kickoff: Profile on Tampa Bay Buccaneers No. 57 Noah Spence

The Countdown to Kickoff series continues on with a look at Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie defensive end Noah Spence, who will look to fill a major hole in the Bucs’ defense.

There are exactly 57 days until the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers open up the 2016 NFL regular season with a Super Bowl rematch. In the meantime, we at NFL Spin Zone are going to profile a player each day as we countdown the days to kickoff.

The Countdown to Kickoff series began with a look at No. 99 Joey Bosa and has continued on everyday since (check out all of the posts here).

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The choices at number 57 are plentiful. Linebackers C.J. Mosley, Vincent Rey and Keenan Robinson would make a lot of sense, but a rookie defensive end figured to be more interesting.

While he may not wear number 57 in the regular season, he is now, so let’s take a look at Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie defensive end Noah Spence.

The Bucs selected the 22-year-old Spence in the second-round (39th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft this off season. He enters the league after dominating at FCS Eastern Kentucky University last season, but that is not anywhere near where his college career began.

Spence was a big-time five-star recruit out of high school who landed at Ohio State. He became an impact player for the Buckeyes as a sophomore in 2013, but repeated failed drug tests caused Spence to get kicked out of the Big Ten Conference.

He spent a successful year away from the field in rehab before landing on his feet at Eastern Kentucky. Spence’s drug issues appear to be completely behind him, and he has major upside as a pass rushing defensive end for the Buccaneers. His quickness off the snap on the edge is unparralled in this rookie class. See for yourself:

A quick and athletic outside rusher who turns his speed into power extremely well, Spence has a chance to come in and make an immediate impact for the Bucs in 2016. He is an extremely talented player who had legitimate top ten upside, but the off-field issues caused Spence to slip.

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While the drug issues appear to be in the past, a checkered past like that is always going to be a concern for NFL teams. There is certainly some risk involved here, but the Bucs landing Spence in the second round as opposed to taking a shot on him in the top ten helps keep that downside in check.

Second-round picks flame out all of the time, but teams whiffing on a player in the top ten can severely set the franchise back. Spence has massive upside at the next level at a highly valuable position. Even with the risk associated with him, his ability on the field is undoubtedly worth a second-round choice.

Defensive end has been a major position of concern for the Bucs in recent years, but the big-time ability of Spence could quickly turn their fortunes around at the position.

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Spence is a second-round pick who could single-handily turn around the Bucs’ largest position of need. What’s not to like?