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.
I’ll still never understand what the thought process was with him. Just such a completely un-Veach like pick. Wonder if someone on the defensive staff was pounding the table for him. I know it was early in his tenure, but it’s just such an outlier. So strange. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Wisconsin_Chief:
I’ll still never understand what the thought process was with him. Just such a completely un-Veach like pick. Wonder if someone on the defensive staff was pounding the table for him. I know it was early in his tenure, but it’s just such an outlier. So strange.
Only ever could’ve worked as a 3-tech in an even front and we ran a 3-4 when we drafted him. Then we hired a new DC who ran a 4-3 and he came into camp fat and indifferent. Then got suspended for PEDs trying to lose weight. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Wisconsin_Chief:
I’ll still never understand what the thought process was with him. Just such a completely un-Veach like pick. Wonder if someone on the defensive staff was pounding the table for him. I know it was early in his tenure, but it’s just such an outlier. So strange.
it happens. There's probably some years where things fall a certain way and your draft board just got cleaned up with every pick right before you and you make a panic pick. That's what I would assume happened with Skyy Moore too. But overall we've never had such great success in the draft. It seemed like back in the 2000's, late 90's we'd go 3 drafts in a row with maybe 1 or 2 good players total from them. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Bump:
it happens. There's probably some years where things fall a certain way and your draft board just got cleaned up with every pick right before you and you make a panic pick. That's what I would assume happened with Skyy Moore too. But overall we've never had such great success in the draft. It seemed like back in the 2000's, late 90's we'd go 3 drafts in a row with maybe 1 or 2 good players total from them.
Moore is a worse execution error than Speaks, IMO.
I think Veach knew they were going to transition to a 4-3 and Speaks should’ve fit there. He just had no way to know the guy was going to eat himself out of the league.
Moore, OTOH, just never made sense on any level to me. [Reply]
And there’s some luck involved. For example, if the Packers had Creed, we’d have likely taken the C they took instead and he’s been nowhere near as good as Creed.
Gotta get a little lucky sometimes and capitalize on it when you do. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
Moore is a worse execution error than Speaks, IMO.
I think Veach knew they were going to transition to a 4-3 and Speaks should’ve fit there. He just had no way to know the guy was going to eat himself out of the league.
Moore, OTOH, just never made sense on any level to me.
Those are Veach’s two worst picks by a mile.
I get annoyed when people throw CEH and even worse Hardman in that discussion.
CEH hasn’t been great, but we’ve at least squeezed production out of him. Hardman was a fine pick.
We got jack and shit out of Speaks and Moore. [Reply]