Second-round mock draft: Myles Jack, Cody Whitehair, Noah Spence among talent still available

Noah Spence 40-Yard Dash (Eastern Kentucky, DE) | 2016 NFL Combine

32. Cleveland: ILB Myles Jack, UCLAThe Browns have 11 picks remaining -- including three in the third, fourth and fifth rounds, giving them an astonishing 10 of the next 142 picks. In other words, they have plenty of opportunities to address needs, and can take a chance on Jack, whose risk-reward ratio is right.

33. Tennessee: CB Mackensie Alexander, ClemsonA chance to upgrade the secondary with a first-round-caliber talent is one the Titans should take.

34. Dallas: DE Noah Spence, Eastern KentuckyExactly the kind of player the Cowboys often take a chance on, and with Greg Hardy not returning, Dallas needs some explosion off the edge.

35. San Diego: TE Hunter Henry, ArkansasWith Ladarius Green leaving and Antonio Gates entering his 14th season, here is a chance to ensure a smooth transition -- and also take some of the pressure off the future Hall of Famer.

36. Baltimore: CB Kendall Fuller, Virginia TechAn aggressive man corner should fit well in Baltimore.

37. Kansas City (from San Francisco): OLB Kamalei Correa, Boise StateWith Justin Houston lost for the season, the Chiefs need an extra edge rusher to work with Tamba Hali and Dee Ford.

38. Jacksonville: G Cody Whitehair, Kansas StateWith Ramsey addressing a big need, the Jaguars can focus on providing better protection for Blake Bortles.

39. Tampa Bay: S Vonn Bell, Ohio StateBell fills a pressing need in Tampa Bay"s defense.

40. N.Y. Giants: ILB Reggie Ragland, AlabamaBig Blue needs a tackling machine in the worst way.

41. Chicago: DE Jarran Reed, AlabamaJohn Fox"s defensive reconstruction needs some fortification up front. Reed could start right away.

42. Miami: RB Derrick Henry, AlabamaThe Dolphins would have loved for Ezekiel Elliott to fall, but didn"t reach for a running back. If Henry is here, their patience will have paid off. A three-pick run on "Bama stars would be interesting if it actually happened, as well.

43. Tennessee (from Philadelphia through Los Angeles): DE/DT Jonathan Bullard, Florida He has versatility to go inside and outside in the Titans" scheme.

44. Oakland: DT A"Shawn Robinson, AlabamaA long and somewhat unexpected fall for Robinson ends.

45. Tennessee (from Los Angeles): WR Michael Thomas, Ohio StateAfter fortifying the protection in Round 1, it"s time to get Marcus Mariota some targets.

46. Detroit: DT Andrew Billings, BaylorThe Lions need to rebuild their defensive line, which hasn"t recovered from the twin departures of Nick Fairley and Ndamukong Suh.

47. New Orleans: CB Xavien Howard, BaylorNew Orleans has plenty of reconstruction work looming on its defense.

48. Indianapolis: DL Chris Jones, Mississippi StateNot necessarily the biggest need, but a good fit. Indianapolis needs to continue focusing on its lines and building from the inside out.

49. Buffalo: DT Austin Johnson, Penn StateJohnson should be able to slide alongside Marcell Dareus.

50. Atlanta: DE Emmanuel Ogbah, Oklahoma StateAtlanta"s quest to upgrade its defense continues. Ogbah and first-round pick Keanu Neal are the kind of players Dan Quinn would have targeted when he was in Seattle as the Seahawks" defensive coordinator.

51. N.Y. Jets: QB Connor Cook, Michigan StateAfter bypassing Paxton Lynch in Round 1, the Jets get the next quarterback off the board.

52. Houston: S Darian Thompson, Boise StateThompson"s coverage and ball skills should fit the Texans" scheme.

53. Washington: OLB Shilique Calhoun, Michigan StateHe would bring some burst off the edge that could help Washington.

54. Minnesota: DE/DT Adolphus Washington, Ohio StateMike Zimmer can find plenty of ways to use Washington up front.

55. Cincinnati: WR Sterling Shepard, OklahomaThe run on wide receivers happened just before Cincinnati"s first-round pick, but they opted for patience, knowing they could find talent later.

56. Seattle: C Nick Martin, Notre DameThe interior of the Seahawks" O-line still needs work; here"s a good opportunity to help that out.

57. Green Bay: OLB Kyler Fackrell, Utah StateCould be groomed to take over for Julius Peppers in a year, while working on a rotational basis as a rookie.

58. Pittsburgh: S Justin Simmons, Boston CollegeThe restoration work on the Steelers" secondary needs to continue.

59. Kansas City: OT Jason Spriggs, IndianaMobile tackle could fit well up front.

60. New England: RB Kenneth Dixon, Louisiana TechDixon can flourish on the wheel routes Bill Belichick loves to use.

61. New England (from Arizona): DE Kevin Dodd, ClemsonAs productive as Shaq Lawson, Dodd provides an insurance policy in case Chris Long struggles returning from injury.

62. Carolina: S/LB Su"a Cravens, USCPanthers GM Dave Gettleman values front-seven defenders more than almost any other executive, and Cravens should find a home as a linebacker.

63. Denver: S Jeremy Cash, DukeThe Broncos-Duke connection is strong, and Cash provides a physical presence that would allow him to contribute in sub packages immediately; he could split the box role in dime personnel with T.J. Ward.

Source: http://www.denverbroncos.com/news-and-blogs/article-1/Second-round-mock-draft-Myles-Jack-Cody-Whitehair-Noah-Spence-among-talent-still-available/526b334f-4474-49cf-b68b-4e9f205f5812

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Bucs Boost Pass Rush with DE Noah Spence

Noah Spence (Eastern Kentucky) vs. Kentucky (2015)

The rejuvenation of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers" defense is officially underway.

One night after adding perhaps the best pure cover corner in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Buccaneers addressed their other pressing need on defense, grabbing Eastern Kentucky defensive end Noah Spence with the eighth pick of the second round, number 39 overall. Considered one of the best pure edge rushers in this year"s class of prospects, Spence joins 11th-overall pick Vernon Hargreaves in giving the Buccaneers" a much-needed infusion of high-level defensive talent.

"I"m just blessed to be able to be taken in the draft at all," said Spence. "I"m going to do as much as I can to make this team great."

In his third season as the Buccaneers" general manager, Jason Licht has clearly turned his attention to a defense that ranked 26th in points allowed in 2015. After targeting a potential shut-down corner in Round One, Licht played to this draft"s strength, landing one of the four defensive linemen who went in the first eight picks of Round Two. In doing so they added what they believe will be an outside complement to Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and big-time free agency acquisition Robert Ayers, hopefully giving Tampa Bay"s it"s best pass-rush since the Warren Sapp-Simeon Rice days.

INFOGRAPHIC: DE NOAH SPENCE

Spence has the potential to develop into the next great edge rusher for the Buccaneers, who have not had a player produce a 10-sack season since Rice in 2005 (though McCoy annually gets very close). Last fall at Eastern Kentucky he recorded 11.5 sacks, 22.5 tackles for loss and 15 quarterback hurries to go with 63 tackles and three forced fumbles. Prior to transferring to EKU, Spence was the Ohio State Buckeyes" leading sacker in 2013 with 8.0 along with 14.5 tackles for loss and 52 tackles overall.

In addition to his impressive statistics, Spence is considered a high-effort, every-down player.

"You"ve just got to keep going at it, 100 percent every play, like you want to win every rep," he said. "You"re never going to win every rep but you"ve always got to feel like you want to get there. I thought I was [one of the top pass-rushers in the draft]. But we"ll see after the season."

MORE: BUCCANEERS DRAFT NOAH SPENCE

Licht and the Buccaneers began the offseason by making several surgical strikes in free agency to acquire Ayers and cornerback Brent Grimes, two projected starters who addressed those aforementioned needs on defense. Still, for a franchise that intends to build through the draft and which has done exactly that in two previous offensive-minded drafts those positions were still high on the Bucs" wish list entering the weekend. With another pick still to be spent in the third round on Friday night and an extra fourth-rounder gained in a small trade down on Thursday evening, Licht and the Buccaneers may very well continue to give new Defensive Coordinator Mike Smith more young talent.

A Harrisburg, Pennsylvania native, the 6-3, 261-pound Spence was a top national recruit before choosing Ohio State in 2012. He played in 11 games as a true freshman as a reserve on defense, then jumped into the starting lineup in 2013. After ranking second in the Big Ten in sacks in his sophomore campaign, he was named to the all-conference first team by the media.

The Buccaneers made Spence one of the 30 players they were allowed to bring to One Buccaneer Place for a pre-draft visit. That time at team headquarters may have cemented the Bucs" interest in him, possibly leading to some anxious moments as the early picks of the second round became so defense-heavy. In the end, the Bucs got their man for the second night in a row and Spence was just as pleased with the outcome as was the team.

"I love their coaches a lot," he said. "I feel like I had a good feel with them; I felt like family when I walked around the facility. When I was with [Defensive Line] Coach Jay [Hayes] I felt like he reminded me a lot of my dad. It felt almost like a home away from home."

Source: http://www.buccaneers.com/news/article-smith/Bucs-Boost-Pass-Rush-with-DE-Noah-Spence/ea5c4252-6d67-427b-9c3a-219989226a41

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