2015 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Ohio State DE/OLB Noah Spence

NOAH SPENCE- 6’3, 252- JR.

Anyone who takes him in the 2015 NFL Draft will be taking a major gamble, but whoever decides to take a leap of faith and bring former Ohio State pass rusher Noah Spence into their program will be acquiring a player with significant potential who can be a productive starter if he can put some significant personal issues behind him.

Spence had a strong sophomore season in 2013, finishing second in the Big Ten with eight sacks in his first year as a full-time starter. However, his steady progression was stopped in January of 2014 when he was suspended due to a failed drug test for ecstasy. At the time, Spence and his family disputed the test, alleging that he had been slipped the drug at a party. However, Spence failed another test in September, and at that time his parents acknowledged that he had a problem and sought treatment for him. He was suspended for the entirety of the 2014 season and declared for the draft in November.

Obviously, Spence has some serious work to do in order to establish any draft stock for himself. He would have had the talent to go in the middle rounds if he had been a model citizen; however, with a drug issue that is obviously serious enough that he was willing to jeopardize his football career, he’ll have to prove that he has changed as a person.

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With a strong combine performance and the alleviation of character concerns through pre-draft interviews and meetings with teams, the best Spence could realistically hope for is a late-round selection. More likely, though, he’ll go undrafted and will have to prove himself as a free agent during training camp and the preseason.

Since he’s only started for one college season, Spence is probably going to be a bit of a project. He may be a practice squad player from the start, and if he makes a 53-man roster out of training camp, he will likely need a “redshirt year” to develop his skills before he’s ready to really make an impact. With that said, Spence has some strong skills that could make him a solid edge rusher in the NFL at either the 3-4 outside linebacker or 4-3 defensive end positions, and he’ll be an interesting prospect come this May.

POSITIVES: diverse skill set; contributes from both the left and right sides out of both two-point and three-point stances…good burst of quickness off the edge…swings hips around well as he rounds the edge into the backfield…fast, ferocious hand movement…pretty disciplined in his approach to the quarterback; there are not too many instances where he gets taken out of the play by way of overpursuit…long arms which he makes great use of when he is in close range of the quarterback…good tackling form…appears to be comfortable dropping back into coverage, which will benefit him if he ends up playing outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense.

NEGATIVES: major character concerns, multiple failed drug tests in college which have resulted in him having to enter treatment…has not played in a game since December 7 of 2013…big enough, but definitely on the smaller side for an edge rusher…decently athletic, but cannot truly be labeled as a “speed rusher” as many undersized pass rushers are; makes his living as a technician rather than an exceptionally speedy player…does not really utilize any distinctive pass rush moves…somewhat apathetic as a run defender; does he have the versatility to play as a 3-4 outside linebacker?…doesn’t take great angles in pursuit when defending the run.

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2014 Review: Spence was practicing with the Buckeyes into September and was expected to contribute in 2014 following a three-game suspension, but he was suspended indefinitely, and later for the entire season, after failing multiple additional drug tests. After being declared “permanently ineligible” in November, Spence really had no choice but to declare for the draft and test his luck.

Talent Grade: Fifth Round

Rams Role: At first glance, the Rams wouldn’t seem to have too great of a need for a pass rusher this offseason. However, with William Hayes facing the possibility of being released this offseason, Chris Long about to turn 30 and coming off a season where he missed 10 games due to injury, and Ethan Westbrooks possibly in line to spend more time on the interior with the likely departure of defensive tackles Kendall Langford and Alex Carrington, the Rams will probably want to bolster their depth at defensive end.

The biggest obstacle in the way of Spence being a fit for the Rams is his size. Since Jeff Fisher and Les Snead have been in St. Louis, the Rams generally have employed ends who are taller and thicker than Spence, though several depth players (Sammy Brown, Gerald Rivers, Michael Sam) have been exceptions to that rule. Spence could provide some nice burst off the edge, and though he would probably take at least a season to develop, he might be a nice backup to Robert Quinn down the road.

Since Fisher and Snead have had control of the Rams’ personnel, they’ve have shown a tendency to take chances on guys with rather serious character issues (Janoris Jenkins, Kenny Britt, and Maurice Alexander come quickly to mind). While Spence is obviously going to have to show that he doesn’t have a lingering drug addiction in order to be able to have an NFL career, the Rams would seem to be one of the more likely teams to take a chance on a guy like him. With the strong possibility that he could end up going undrafted due to his long layoff from playing combined with the uncertainty surrounding his drug use, Spence would potentially be a low-risk, high-reward player for the Rams to take a chance on if he ends up falling to the later rounds or out of the draft completely.

Film Watched: vs. Penn State (2013), vs. California (2013), vs. Michigan State (2013), vs. Wisconsin (2013)

Next: 2015 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Boise State RB Jay Ajayi

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