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 GloucesterChief:
Roughing the passer would of been half the distance to the goal and an auto first down. When you get the change to hit the QB you do it. Make Brady feel it in his old man bones.
Originally Posted by KChiefs1:
The QB must go down & he must go down hard.
I see your point and I like it!
However, I'm not ready to send an AIDS infected antifreeze bottle to Breelands house. I doubt he ever lets that happen again. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Molitoth:
I see your point and I like it!
However, I'm not ready to send an AIDS infected antifreeze bottle to Breelands house. I doubt he ever lets that happen again.
My problem with it is this is just what we've been dealing with for awhile now with defensive players drafted by Dorsey and Veach.
An absolute shitfuck embarrassment happens on the field and it's, "Well, that's a learning experience..."
Have that fucking learning experience in college. Or high school. You should be better than this by now.
This is all part of the frustration with Speaks and why it's apparent that Veach is just another version of Dorsey. A 2nd rounder should at least be contributing replacement-level quality play when they get snaps. [Reply]
Speaks played well last night - apart from the obvious fuck up. That rule is bound to fuck a team over in the playoffs. He provided quite a bit of pressure in his first ever start, had the nice sack strip on Brady. [Reply]
Originally Posted by RealSNR:
A 2nd round pick should show some kind of promise for one day becoming a starter.
He's not ****ing doing that. Who cares if you recovered a fumble? That's not NFL talent. Frank ****ing Zombo can do that.
Some of you guys really need to start watching the games. I was at the front of the mob leading against this guy and I admit he flashed last night. He looked really good at times.
Why do you think Brady’s opening drive was a turnover of downs? Speaks has an amazing rush and got right in his face. Speaks forced that ball to be thrown early and we stopped them because of him.
Speaks will be fine. So many Dlineman drafted early get called busts by their fan base the first few years, and then develop into big time contributors. Dline from College to the NFL is a huge jump, and for Speaks even larger because he’s being asked by Sutton to play out of his natural position. [Reply]
