Breeland Speaks is Set to Enter the NFL Draft

Photos by Petre Thomas/ Ole Miss Athletics

Ole Miss junior defensive lineman Breeland Speaks announced Tuesday he will skip his senior year with the Rebels and enter the ranks of the 2018 NFL draft.

Speaks released a statement about his decision to go pro:
“After discussing it with my family, I have decided to forgo my senior season and enter the 2018 NFL Draft. There are so many people I want to thank, including Chancellor Vitter, Mr. Bjork, Coach Luke, the coaching staff, my teammates, and everyone at the university for an awesome four years. Most of all, I thank Rebel Nation for the incredible support they gave me from day one. I was proud to Lock The Vaught every Saturday in my home state, and now I look forward to representing Ole Miss at the next level.”
Speaks redshirted in 2014, and over the last three years, he has played in every game with 19 starts, including the last seven at defensive end after moving from tackle. The Jackson native earned All-SEC second team honors from the Associated Press and Phil Steele this season.
Ole Miss head coach Matt Luke released a statement on Speaks’ decision to move on to the NFL.
“I have seen Breeland grow as a person and a player over the last four years, and we’re excited to see him take this next step in his career. I am particularly proud of the leadership he brought to our team amid the challenges we faced. He is a true Rebel, and we look forward to watching him continue our program’s rich NFL tradition.”
Last season, Speaks ranked sixth in the SEC with 7.0 sacks. He led the team with eight QB hurries and finished second in tackles (67) and third in TFLs (8.0). Speaks totaled a career-high 13 stops against LSU, including seven solos.

Adam Brown is the sports editor of HottyToddy.com. He can be reached at adam.brown@hottytoddy.com.
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