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 duncan_idaho:
Well, I’m surprised but not upset.
I thought a healthy, leaned down Speaks would provide the versatility and flexibility that Spags likes in his DL.
Sure sounds like they found gems in Danna and Wharton, from camp reports, and maybe Harris is more than I’ve been giving him credit for.
Not gonna lie, I hope Wharton becomes a stud/star just because the story would be so cool. And cheap production...
This is important to recognize as well. Speaks kept giving the Chiefs opportunities to upgrade the position so they kept bringing in guys to compete. It sounds like Speaks was trying to make a serious attempt at taking a step forward, but these other guys may just be too good for it to matter. [Reply]
Originally Posted by TRR:
He served it last season. So....
So he has no one to blame but himself. Don't get suspended and show up every year in shape. That's the minimum in the NFL and he wasn't much on the field on top of it. [Reply]
Holthus sucks everyone's dick and I knew speaks was gone when someone asked him about speaks and he just deflected the question. I was like he sucks. [Reply]
