Ole Miss football continues to send players into the NFL and the 2018 NFL Draft was no exception as Breeland Speaks was the first Rebel selected.
The 2018 NFL Draft took place and once again there were a number of Ole Miss football players who heard their name called. Breeland Speaks was just the first of 4 Rebels selected in the draft. Speak was selected in the 2nd round on Friday by the Kansas City Chiefs. Of course, there are Rebels fans would have like to have seen Breeland spend one more season in Oxford. However, Speaks made the right choice and it paid off.
Breeland Speaks has been a special player at Ole Miss and became a fan favorite. The Jackson, Mississippi native had a knack for really disrupting opposing offenses and with his antics on the field he was always fun to watch. While many NFL draft pundits projected Speaks to go in the 3rd to 4th round his on the field play for the Rebels and his combine allowed the Cheifs to sneak in and pick up a very good player much earlier than many people predicted.
From @OleMissFB ➡️ #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/0RbaCOgruC
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) April 28, 2018
Breeland Speaks, DE
Ole Miss Rebels Football
As Ole Miss football fans we’ve all seen exactly what Breeland Speaks is capable of. Whether he was playing defensive end or along the interior he was always in the backfield. Speaks has a very aggressive ‘headhunter’ attitude when he is on the field and is very disruptive off the end.
Formerly a standout at Callaway high-school in Jackson, Speaks is very fast off the edge and has great footwork and handwork. He is quick and very hard to block off the end.
In 2017 Speaks was almost unstoppable for opposing teams. Speaks was responsible for 67 total tackles with 8 TFL and 7 sacks. Most of which came at the defensive end position although Speaks did play on the interior some.
Most NFL pundits believe he will play exclusively at the EDGE or possibly as a designated pass rusher to begin his professional career. We know Speaks will eventually evolve into the regular starter at the defensive end position.
According to OleMissSports.com,
"“I had a chance to talk to his coach (Matt Luke) and [Speaks] is a good kid, hard worker,I never saw him take a play off, and he played a lot. ~Kansas City head coach Andy Reid"
For The Record
Here at Ole Hotty Toddy we did early draft projections for the 4 Rebels who were invited to the 2018 NFL Combine. We actually projected all four players being selected in the 2018 NFL Draft and they were. We projected Speaks could jump into the second round and he did. Thankfully the Kansas City Chiefs could also see what we saw and made a great selection. After the draft OHT was contacted by KC Kingdom on our thoughts on Breeland Speaks.
"My thoughts on Speaks are like most Rebels fans. He plays hard and fast on every down with a chip on his shoulder. He is very fast off the edge but works inside really good with great power. The Chiefs did well getting him in my opinion. He will be an All-Pro. ~Daniel Skipper, OHT Site Expert"
It’s always exciting seeing a great player get drafted and Breeland Speaks will wind up being one of the best. Myself, the OHT family and Rebel Nation wish the best for Breeland as he takes on the NFL. Good Luck Breeland Speaks, Go Chiefs and Hotty Toddy!