Originally Posted by : Overview
Speaks finished strong in his final year in Oxford, sacking the quarterback six times in the team's final six games from the defensive end position. He started all 12 games for the Rebels in 2017, posting 67 tackles, eight for loss which included seven sacks to garner second-team All-SEC by league media. The Jackson, Mississippi native and four-star recruit was a defensive tackle initially, redshirting in 2014 and then starting two of 13 games played the following year (32 tackles, 5.5 for loss, one sack, two pass breakups). Speaks played in every game again as a sophomore, starting seven, making 28 tackles, 1.5 for loss, and a sack.
Originally Posted by : Strengths
Big man with good speed and plus athletic ability
Has experience at a variety of spots along defensive line
Has size and length to play in odd or even front
Punches with good hand placement, arm extension and rolled hips when allowed to two-gap
Has attitude and edge
Flashes potential to become more proficient with hands as a weapon
Able to play ahead of move blocks and disrupt into backside gaps
Plays with plus awareness
Responds well to flow of the play
Offers a little more pass rush than expected as power end
Pairs hands and feet to help free him as interior rusher along the edge
Arm-over move has some potential
Weaknesses
Had just one season of big production
Inconsistent at leveraging gap
Plays top-heavy with high pad level
Allows blockers under his pads when attacking gaps
Hip-tightness leads to narrowing of his base
Struggles to hold ground against down blocks and can be rolled out of the gap
Has straight line speed, but lateral agility and foot quickness are average in tight quarters
Goes over the edge with emotions
Chippy hitter willing to lead with helmet when play is ending
Ejected for targeting against Kentucky and ejected against Mississippi State for two unsportsmanlike penalties
Reid says Brett Veach "wore him out" watching tape on Speaks. Watched all of his snaps from last season, says he never saw him on the ground. Compares him to Tamba Hali with size and metrics.
Originally Posted by jjchieffan:
I don't want our 2nd round pick to be in the top 50. 50 means we missed the playoffs. I would prefer it to be pick 64. And there's a good chance that the Rams pick isn't in the top 50 either. They were pretty good last year and improved their roster a lot, on paper anyway. So, our first rround pick could be the only one in the top 50.
Wouldn’t it be great if the Rams had an injury plagued season and finished with a top 10-15 pick?
Originally Posted by pugsnotdrugs19:
Sounds like Speaks was wreaking havoc today at rookie camp. Obviously doesn’t mean much, but better for him to stand out than to not.
Wow that was great. Why the fuck don’t they show more of this?
I’d love to see more of Veach breaking down Speaks in particular. That play was very impressive and hard to catch when you aren’t watching all-22 film. [Reply]
Chiefs signed second-round DT Breeland Speaks to a four-year contract.
An early-career defensive tackle who moved to end last season, Speaks put versatility on tape and logged impressive 68th-percentile SPARQ results before the draft, suggesting room for further growth. Speaks is a boom-bust prospect with upside for a Michael Bennett-style role but a Datone Jones floor. Undersized but explosive, Speaks’ closest comp may be old Titans/Dolphins DL Jason Jones.
Originally Posted by tyton75:
Don't forget Dnandi (sp?) he will make a solid contribution I believe
Oh boy. We're going to have fun with this name for years.
I thought "Ehringer" (sic) was bad. "Daniels" was also a bugger. And way back in the day, I thought it couldn't get worse than "Ryan Simms." This one, though. Hooooo boy. [Reply]
Listened to ESPN radio today and they were talking about the Chiefs. Todd McShay and Mel Kiper really like this kid and said they see him has a Michael Bennett type of player that can play outside and move inside on 3rd downs.
That would be awesome. Hope Veach is right about this kid. [Reply]
Originally Posted by RunKC:
Listened to ESPN radio today and they were talking about the Chiefs. Todd McShay and Mel Kiper really like this kid and said they see him has a Michael Bennett type of player that can play outside and move inside on 3rd downs.
That would be awesome. Hope Veach is right about this kid.
100% against 2 receiver sets or early downs I expect Speaks to be the OLB opposite of Houston. Not as explosive as Ford rushing the passer but with Speaks you don't have to worry as much against the run and setting the edge (as the video above shows). As you get into those passing situations is where I expect Ford to be subbed in, let Ford play to his strength which is rushing the passer.
The biggest take away I have with the draft and free agent signings on the defense is versatility. I don't think Sutton really had the tools available to him last season to attack, partially due to injury and partially due to the personnel available to him. [Reply]
Also side note- the more I see Veach the more I come away as being impressed. Didn't know too much about him when Dorsey was let go but I feel that since he's taken over I have really liked the direction he is taking this football team.
Maybe only question mark I've had with Veach is the Peters trade but we can agree that was more of a culture change. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Shoes:
Not as explosive as Ford rushing the passer but with Speaks you don't have to worry as much against the run and setting the edge
I always take issue with direct assertions like these.
Rule of thumb is that DL take about 3 years to really develop. I understand that Speaks is playing OLB, but from a physical standpoint, he's a stand up 43 end.
I don't expect Speaks to set the edge better than Ford in his rookie season. And i think it's silly to assume he will.
Matter of fact, i don't expect much of anything from Speaks until at least year 2.
Ford will start. Ford will play most downs, and Speaks will come in when Houston/Ford need a breather. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Detoxing:
I always take issue with direct assertions like these.
Rule of thumb is that DL take about 3 years to really develop. I understand that Speaks is playing OLB, but from a physical standpoint, he's a stand up 43 end.
I don't expect Speaks to set the edge better than Ford in his rookie season. And i think it's silly to assume he will.
Matter of fact, i don't expect much of anything from Speaks until at least year 2.
Ford will start. Ford will play most downs, and Speaks will come in when Houston/Ford need a breather.
Fair- I don't expect Speaks week 1 of the season to play more snaps than Ford. As the season progresses and Speaks role expands though my guess would be that Speaks would see more of the early down reps. Especially against teams like Tennessee or Pittsburgh who play more of a power run game I think Speaks has the potential to set the edge better than Dee Ford ever could. All the way since college the knock on Dee Ford has been in the run game he's a bit of a liability, that hasn't really changed in my opinion. I think Ford has improved from his first two seasons but it will never be a strong suit of his. From a "physical" standpoint as you put it, Breeland Speaks has roughly 30 pounds on Dee Ford- Speaks is more equipped to handle it. [Reply]
