Chicago Bears draft prospects: Take a chance on Noah Spence?

The Chicago Bears could use the services of Noah Spence. With his checkered past, however, would Ryan Pace and John Fox take a chance and spend a first round pick on him?

As we get closer to the NFL Draft, we will see a great many mock drafts. Everyone will have an opinion on who the Chicago Bears will take with their eleventh pick of the first round.

I have seen recently more and more experts combining the name Noah Spence with the Chicago Bears. I have also been asked about Spence by a lot of fans.

Spence is perhaps the most head-shaking prospect in the draft. He is the most explosive defensive player available. He is probably the best defensive end prospect.

He is also the most controversial prospect in the draft.

Spence was one of the best defensive ends in college when he was playing at Ohio State University. He had an addiction to ecstasy, however, and that led to him being permanently banned bu the Big Ten for repeated failed drug tests.

In 2013, Spence was not only an All Big Ten player, he was also ACADEMIC All Big Ten. He is smart in the classroom as well as on the field.

But his addiction nearly cost him everything.

After a stint in rehab, Spence flirted with going pro, but ultimately ended up in Eastern Kentucky. There, he was the Ohio Valley Conference’s Co-Defensive Player of the Year. He recorded 65 tackles, 15 quarterback hurries, 22.5 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Spence is a fluid rusher. He uses his great explosion to blow past offensive linemen. He has good coordination to dip and get to the quarterback and flatten him.

Spence also has a high motor. During the Senior Bowl practices, he got into skirmishes with several linemen. Since he practiced and played so well, that was viewed as a positive. It was viewed as Spence playing harder than everyone else.

Spence does have to work on his snap anticipation, and, playing in a 3-4 scheme as the Chicago Bears use, he would need to improve his coverage skills.

Spence is often compared to Von Miller, and it is a fair comparison on multiple fronts. They are both similar in body (both are 6-foot-3, 250 pounds), and both are fluid, explosive athletes.

They both have also gotten into trouble. As you may remember, in 2013 Miller was suspended for six games for violating the league’s drug policy.

Would the Chicago Bears take a chance on Spence?

They took a chance on Ray McDonald last offseason, and that blew up in their faces just weeks later. McDonald never played a down for the Bears after getting arrested again.

The McDonald release did not cost the Bears anything, so they suffered just a PR hit. Drafting Spence in the first round, then losing him, would be taking a bigger risk. 

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Spence submitted to several drug tests while at Eastern Kentucky and passed them all. He has said he was looking forward to prove he is over his addiction and that he is a changed person. He had to force himself to watch the Buckeyes win the National Championship without him in 2014, and he said doing that affected him in a positive way.

"I had tears in my eyes. I forced myself to watch it. The whole thing. It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance and I messed it all up. I will never in my life forget that feeling. That feeling right there is always in my head whenever I do anything because I know I don’t ever want to go back again, hit rock bottom — and I know I won’t be back there ever again because I will always have that feeling in my mind."

The interview process of the NFC Combine will be more important for Spence than the physical one. Everyone knows how great an athlete he is. Physically, he is NFL-ready. The question is whether he is NFL-ready emotionally. Can he handle the rigors of the NFL without having to fall back to taking drugs?

Next: Chicago Bears Draft Prospects: Roberto Aguayo

If Noah Spence can answer that question positively for Ryan Pace and the Chicago Bears, he just may find himself at Halas Hall.