Pittsburgh Steelers Select Miami (Fla.) Linebacker Sean Spence in 3rd Round
By Matt Shetler
The 2012 NFL Draft is quickly turning into the one of the better ones in recent memory, at least on paper.
After beefing up the offensive line with their first two selections, the Steelers added linebacker depth in the third-round with Miami (Fla.) linebacker Sean Spence.
Spence had a great career as a Hurricane despite being a guy that’s short on stature. Despite not having ideal size for a linebacker, Spence racked up over 300 tackles during his collegiate career, with 47 of them resulting in a loss of yards.
On paper, Spence doesn’t do anything well, especially in the strength and speed departments, but the guy is simply a football player and a playmaker.
Here’s the scouting report on Spence from Rob Rang at CBS Sports:
"Read & React: Probably his best asset. Excellent diagnosing skills. Is rarely out of position even against quality play-action, though he can be too aggressive in attacking the hole, leaving cutback lanes for talented backs. Shoots gaps, escaping blocks of the behemoth offensive lineman to rack up tackles at (or often behind) the line of scrimmage. Sniffs out screens and draws quickly. High-effort player who hustles to the ball in pursuit. Is seemingly always around the action."
Pick Analysis
Spence likely starts out as a weak-side linebacker and won’t crack the starting lineup this season but that doesn’t mean he won’t make an impact.
He’s a student of the game and a high intangibles guy. Almost a perfect fit for the Steelers linebacking core. Spence will make plays and is the type of player that once he eventually cracks the starting lineup, he will stay there for a long time.
I love the pick.
View the report on first-round pick David DeCastro
View the report on second-round pick Mike Adams
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Follow Matt Shetler on Twitter and Facebook
The 2012 NFL Draft is quickly turning into the one of the better ones in recent memory, at least on paper.
After beefing up the offensive line with their first two selections, the Steelers added linebacker depth in the third-round with Miami (Fla.) linebacker Sean Spence.
Spence had a great career as a Hurricane despite being a guy that’s short on stature. Despite not having ideal size for a linebacker, Spence racked up over 300 tackles during his collegiate career, with 47 of them resulting in a loss of yards.
On paper, Spence doesn’t do anything well, especially in the strength and speed departments, but the guy is simply a football player and a playmaker.
Here’s the scouting report on Spence from Rob Rang at CBS Sports:
"Read & React: Probably his best asset. Excellent diagnosing skills. Is rarely out of position even against quality play-action, though he can be too aggressive in attacking the hole, leaving cutback lanes for talented backs. Shoots gaps, escaping blocks of the behemoth offensive lineman to rack up tackles at (or often behind) the line of scrimmage. Sniffs out screens and draws quickly. High-effort player who hustles to the ball in pursuit. Is seemingly always around the action."
Pick Analysis
Spence likely starts out as a weak-side linebacker and won’t crack the starting lineup this season but that doesn’t mean he won’t make an impact.
He’s a student of the game and a high intangibles guy. Almost a perfect fit for the Steelers linebacking core. Spence will make plays and is the type of player that once he eventually cracks the starting lineup, he will stay there for a long time.
I love the pick.
View the report on first-round pick David DeCastro
View the report on second-round pick Mike Adams
Follow City of Champions Sports on Twitter