Ole Miss Football: Early Projections For Rebels In The 2018 NFL Draft
Breeland Speaks, DL
Of all the players on the Ole Miss football roster in 2017 there was not another defensive player who was more of a headache for opponents. Breeland Speaks always played hard and with no conscience for anything but creating havoc for opposing offenses. Of course, Speaks is the only Rebel to forgo his senior college season to announce for the 2018 NFL Draft.
Breeland Speaks also attended the NFL Combine in Indy and had an overall prospect grade of 5.55. Speaks put up incredible numbers in all events and has been given a second look by a number of NFL scouts. Speak was initially being looked at as a defensive tackle but his combine proved him at the defensive end position. Of course, Speaks played most of the 2017 season at DE. Because of his size and speed he is very explosive off the edge and very athletic for a big man.
Speaks has impressed most scouts with his physical ability, however there are NFL scouts who have questioned his ‘chippy’ play which caused problems for Speaks in college. It is felt by many Speaks knows he has to improve in that area and with just a few improvements on the technique level he is a steal in the 2018 Draft for the right team. Most draft scouting sites have Speaks going late in the 3rd to late 4th rounds. However, we believe Speaks surprises some fans.
Projected Round: Early 3rd
More In Coming Days
Although we want to see all of these players go in the draft, there are no guarantees when it comes to NFL scouts. They look for what the specific team they’re representing needs most and occasionally they see a rare find. All four of these Rebels will somehow make their mark on the professional level and their chances are good it will be sooner than later. Of course, Ole Miss has long been known for producing great pro players from all of these positions.
Remember these are only early projections and things can change and usually do. The 2018 NFL Draft will begin on April 26th and run thru the 28th. Between now and then we have the Ole Miss Pro Day among others around the nation. Of course, we can expect position and draft rankings to change based on the new stats from those players. OHT will be updating the projections for the Rebels in the 2018 NFL Draft as we get closer to the big day. Please be sure to follow us on Facebook and twitter for the latest Ole Miss football news. Hotty Toddy!