Steelers select LB Sean Spence in 3rd round
With the 86th pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Miami (Fla) linebacker Sean Spence.
Some analyst were probably surprised by this pick. Spence was an incredibly productive linebacker at Miami, but at only 5’11″ and 231 lbs, he’s thought to be undersized for an NFL linebacker.
Despite the questions about his size, Spence is one of the fastest and most instinctual linebackers in this year’s draft. In fact, it’s probably fair to say that he reads plays better than any other linebacker in this year’s draft. He’s great at anticipating snap counts, and he always gets a good jump on plays. He does a good job in coverage, and will be an asset covering tight ends.
Sean Spence
Spence was a 4 year starter at Miami, and he had over 100 tackles in both 2010 and 2011. 31 of those were tackles for a loss.
Spence was the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year as a freshman. He made first-team All-ACC as a senior, and he was a semifinalist for the Butkus Award. He was Miami’s Most Valuable Player in 2010, and he was voted the team’s Defensive Outstanding Player in 2011. He was also a team captain. That’s not too bad for a guy who isn’t even 6′ tall.
Because of his size, he’ll definitely have to play on the weak side. But I can also see him playing an important role against teams like the New England Patriots who utilize 2 tight ends. He’ll have no problem covering a tight end, although he will be at a disadvantage from a height perspective.
Spence was known for being a hard hitter in college, but at only 228 lbs, that may not be the case in the NFL. However, Ryan Clark only weighs 205 lbs., and he’s a notoriously hard hitter.
Because he’s fast and has great instincts, I also expect him to have an immediate impact on special teams.
I’m not as excited about this pick as I was about the Steelers’ first two selections. But I can definitely see some situations where Dick LeBeau could make use of Sean Spence’s skills. He’d be great in nickel situations, and I could even see him playing safety based on his skills (though he never played the position in college).
Not going to second guess the scouts and coaches but Ta’Amu at this spot (3) would have put Pittsburgh over the top with a bunch of picks left.
Although after DeCastro I honestly believe in miracles so who knows.
1HP,
2I guess you see that the Steelers got their man in round 4.
i have a heard a lot of talk that spence is probably going to be converted to safety.
3(;>)
And when DeCastro, Adams, Pouncey, Gilbert and Willie blow the men down that #5 burner is gonna burn.
If this doesn’t light a fire under Dwyer, nothing will..
4Safety? That has a lot of potential and if anyone can pull it off it’s LeBeau and Troy.
I think safety is a concern for sure and thought they would pick one along with OL and NT. Maybe they did..
I know it’s always LB, LB, LB on everyone’s mind, especially with the Steelers but they’re not in high concern mode yet at LB.
Harrison is good for another year, Woodly and Timmons for several. Worilds will show up for sure and I have to admit I’ve always thought a lot of Sylvester ever since Utah vs Alabama.
I think he has natural talents which are just inherent.
This photo of Spence looks more like a safety than a LB and gotta love that look he shows.
5Either way I got to think they have a plan for this strong, fast and savvy young man.
The ability to cover TE’s is becoming more and more important in this league, and I like to see the Steelers taking steps to address that. Spence isn’t going to lock down the elite TE’s (if he could do that, he would’ve been a 1st rounder), but he’s a step in the right direction. He’ll give the Steelers the kind of versatility in their nickel package that LeBeau loves, and has the intelligence, size, agility, and burst to play kind of like Troy Polamalu and take some pressure off the real Troy. He’s a guy like Chris Rainey who may not fit well into traditional roles, but has exciting possibilities if used creatively. Moreover, he’ll have a chip on his shoulder from being overlooked due to his poor measurables.
6