Akeem Spence

Akeem Spence (born November 29, 1991) is an American football defensive tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at Illinois.

Akeem Spence
Spence in 2019
No. 52 – New England Patriots
Position:Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1991-11-29) November 29, 1991
Navarre, Florida
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:303 lb (137 kg)
Career information
High school:Fort Walton Beach
(Fort Walton Beach, Florida)
College:Illinois
NFL Draft:2013 / Round: 4 / Pick: 100
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of Week 13, 2020
Total tackles:187
Sacks:10.5
Forced fumbles:1
Fumble recoveries:3
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Spence was born in Navarre, Florida. He attended Fort Walton Beach High School, and played for the Fort Walton Beach Vikings high school football team. He recorded 80 tackles and five sacks as a senior and helped lead team to a 10-2 record and district championship. Posted 67 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and two sacks in 2007 as a junior. Rated as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, he accepted an athletic scholarship from the University of Illinois over offers from Iowa State and Syracuse.[1]

College career

While attending the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Spence played for the Illinois Fighting Illini football team from 2009 to 2012. After redshirting in 2009, he started all 13 games at defensive tackle alongside All-American Corey Liuget. He had 45 tackles, four tackles for a loss, one quarterback sacks, two hurries and one fumble recovery on the season. In 2011, he started all 13 games on the season, he finished ranked fourth on the team with 69 tackles on the season, including 5.5 tackles for a loess and 1.5 sacks. As a redshirt junior, he started all 12 games in 2012 and started all 38 games of his college career at defensive tackle. He ranked third on the team in tackles with 72 and tied for second on team with 7.0 tackles for a loss and had one sack.

Spence announced on December 19, 2012 that he would forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft.[2][3]

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand size40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 0 5⁄8 in
(1.84 m)		 307 lb
(139 kg)		 1⁄2 in
(0.01 m)		 10 in
(0.25 m)		5.15 s1.74 s2.81 s4.72 s7.82 s30 in
(0.76 m)		8 ft 11 in
(2.72 m)		37 reps
All values from NFL Combine[4][5]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On April 27, 2013, Spence was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round (100th overall pick) of the 2013 NFL Draft. The Buccaneers signed him to a rookie contract on May 15, 2013.[6] Spence signed his contract on May 15, 2013, a four-year deal that’s worth $2,644,424. Spence collected a $484,424 signing bonus.

On December 26, 2015, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers placed Spence on injured reserve.[7]

Detroit Lions

On March 10, 2017, Spence signed a three-year, $9 million contract with the Detroit Lions.[8] He started 11 games during the 2017 season, recording 39 tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble.[9] Spence was named the 2017 recipient of the Detroit Lions Media-Friendly Good Guy Award by the Detroit chapter of the PFWA and Detroit Sports Media.

Miami Dolphins

On May 3, 2018, Spence was traded to the Miami Dolphins for a conditional 2019 seventh round pick, previously acquired from the Browns in a trade for Jarvis Landry.[10]

On August 27, 2019, Spence was released from the Miami Dolphins.[11]

Philadelphia Eagles

Spence signed a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles on September 10, 2019.[12] He was released after playing in six games on October 21, 2019.[13]

Jacksonville Jaguars

On October 25, 2019, Spence was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars.[14]

New England Patriots

On November 21, 2020, the New England Patriots signed Spence to their practice squad.[15] He was elevated to the active roster on November 28 for the team's week 12 game against the Arizona Cardinals, and reverted to the practice squad after the game.[16] On December 5, 2020, Spence was promoted to the active roster.[17]

Personal life

On January 14, 2014, Spence was arrested in Flomaton, Alabama on charges of misdemeanor marijuana possession.[18] He was later suspended one game by the NFL for the incident.[19] During the 2017 NFL season, Spence participated in a protest during the national anthem. Following this, he reported that his father, a contractor, was denied work due to his protest.[20]

References
  1. https://sports.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/player-Akeem-Spence-81973
  2. Illinois' Akeem Spence to enter NFL draft
  3. Report: Illini's Spence to enter NFL draft
  4. http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/akeem-spence?id=2540201
  5. http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=90645&draftyear=2013&genpos=DT
  6. Associated Press, "Fourth-round draft pick Akeem Spence agrees to contract with Buccaneers," The Washington Post (May 15, 2013). Retrieved May 15, 2013.
  7. "Bucs put Akeem Spence on IR, promote Mike James". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on December 27, 2015. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  8. "Lions sign unrestricted free agent DT Akeem Spence". DetroitLions.com. March 10, 2017. Archived from the original on March 10, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  9. "Detroit Lions trade DT Akeem Spence to Dolphins". NFL.com. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  10. "Detroit Lions trade DT Akeem Spence to Dolphins". NFL.com. May 3, 2018.
  11. "Dolphins Waive Chase Allen, Release Akeem Spence". MiamiDolphins.com. August 27, 2019.
  12. Spadaro, Dave (September 10, 2019). "Eagles agree to terms with DT Akeem Spence as defensive line prepares to move on without Malik Jackson". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  13. McPherson, Chris (October 21, 2019). "Eagles agree to sign DT Anthony Rush, release CB Orlando Scandrick and DT Akeem Spence". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  14. Smith, Michael David (October 25, 2019). "Jaguars put Marcell Dareus on injured reserve, sign Akeem Spence". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports.
  15. "Patriots make a series of roster transactions". Patriots.com. November 21, 2020.
  16. "Patriots Announce A Series of Roster Moves". Patriots.com. November 28, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  17. "Patriots Make a Series of Roster Transactions". Patritos.com. December 5, 2020.
  18. CBS Sports, "Bucaneers DT Akeem Spence Arrested in Alabama," CBS Sports (January 15, 2014). Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  19. Yasinskas, Pat. "Akeem Spence suspended one game following marijuana arrest". ESPN. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  20. "Lions' Akeem Spence Says His Protest Cost His Father a Job". si.com. September 28, 2017.
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