Kansas City Chiefs sign second-round pick Breeland Speaks

The Kansas City Chiefs signed linebacker Breeland Speaks, their second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, on Thursday.

Speaks, the No. 46 overall pick out of Mississippi, signed a four-year contract, the team announced Thursday following the conclusion of organized team activities.

The fourth of Kansas City's six selections to sign, Speaks was the Chiefs' first pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. The team traded its first-round pick in a deal to acquire quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Speaks will be moved to linebacker after playing at defensive end for Ole Miss. He established career highs with 61 tackles, 7.0 sacks and eight tackles for loss as a junior in 2017.

"I think he'll get in and compete in the rotation, I would hope," said Chiefs coach Andy Reid after drafting Speaks. "That's the plan there. We'll get him in and see how he does, but we'll hope he can rotate in there and go."

The 6-foot-3, 285-pound Speaks registered 121 tackles, 9.0 sacks and 15 tackles for loss in his three seasons with the Rebels. He received an endorsement from fellow Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston on Thursday.

"I think he's very smart," said Houston, per Scout.com. "He's a D-end to come in and learn outside linebacker. A lot of guys you've seen in the NFL struggle when switching from D-end to outside linebacker. But he's picking up the defense fine. He's looked good in coverage. I think he's going to help us a lot."