Noah Spence has been nominated for this week’s NFL Rookie of the Week award, after notching five tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble against the Seattle Seahawks. You can vote for him here.
Spence was a second-round pick for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season, though he was arguably the best pure pass-rushing prospect in the draft. The Eastern Kentucky prospect got kicked out of Ohio State over his abuse of ecstacy, but has since stayed out of trouble.
Spence got off to a bit of a slow start to the season, with his playing time limited in part because he lacks the size to consistently hold up against the run. He’s quickly developed, though, and has really come on in recent weeks, developing counter moves to go along with his natural speed rush. He now has 5.5 sacks on the season, after just one in the first five games.