“He has to go to the right team. There’s a high bust probability if you put too much on his plate or you don’t have the right plan.”
“He’s a tall, high-cut kid. Unless he’s in that alleyway where he can just sit and explode, it’s tough for a big, tall kid. He has overrun some plays because he gets there so fast and when somebody makes a quick cut he doesn’t adjust real well. He isn’t a hammer, but nobody cares about that anymore. It’s getting to be like flag football.”
“I can promise you he can take any tight end in the NFL out of his game. Instead of having a guy catch eight, 10 balls in the middle he can hold him to two. That he can do.”
“They scheme him off the edge, and he comes flying and he’s free. He’s got some sacks because of that. It is not as if he’s putting his hand down and working moves, spinning, bull rushing, slipping and dipping. He’s not doing any of that. He’s running straight or they’re stunting him where he comes flying through the gap.”
“If an offensive coordinator or quarterback see him as a single-high safety they’re going to throw at him every single time. He’s a really good athlete for a inebacker but not a really good athlete for a safety. If they play him in the slot, they’ll throw at him because he can’t cover receivers.”
It’s behind a paywall but they’re in the midst of a 90 day free trial (which is why I thought it would be alright to post some of the content, if not I will remove it), and I can’t recommend the Athletic highly enough anyway, definitely worth the money. For content like this.
This is exactly how I see him, he’s limited to being an in the box safety, at least for the first couple years. He can take away a TE and he can fly around making tackles, I just don’t see him as an impact starter.
He’s still raw. Has only played linebacker part time for one season. His play greatly improved from his sophomore season to his junior season. He will probably improve a lot more then some of these players that have played the same position for years.
Part of scouting Simmons is projecting what type of player he can become. A little more risky but he has a very high ceiling.
NewYorkLion how long you been working for McGinn’s?
He is one of the top athletes in this draft but not sure where he fits in the NFL. Gil Brandt said years ago “give me an athlete, and we’ll teach him how to play football.” With the right coaching he could be special but I think with the pro game he better be put in a position and learn it well.
I am not a fan of him for Detroit. If we draft him, I see us trading him in 3 years for a 5th. Just not a fit with Patricia. As was said with Ernie Sims…all his speed did was get him to the wrong spot quicker.
I’m in a minority, but the only players i wouldnt be disappointed with at 3OA with no TD are Chase Young and this kid Simmons. Put him and Jamie Collins on the field together and TE’s don’t beat us anymore.
I would even add Tua, although I understand people not feeling the same as me there. But yes, I agree the only other 2 people I would take at #3 (assuming Burrow goes 1) are Young and Simmons.
Young is a sure thing and Simmons has the ability to be an elite game changer. Nobody else outside of a QB holds that ability.
Absolutely this. So I ask you. Can Patrick Queen do this too? Akeem Davis-Gaither? Troy Dye? Logan Wilson? If you have a guy you are going to have to play in space anyway, what does it matter if they are 238 or 228? The answer is, if they can tackle and cover backs and TE’s, it DOESN’T.
The more I read about the guy, the more I think there’s zero chance he gets drafted by Detroit
Great skill set — but very specific
He probably will “fall” draft night
That2 … I know you know this but your quotes are a lot of what I’ve been saying for months.
I like Simmons but he’s not a polished player. I think he best projects as a box safety. Derwin James is the best NFL comparison I can think of. James was also projected top 5 but went at 17.
I think Simmons will not go top 5. If Carolina passes on him then I think there’s a strong chance he doesn’t go top 10 either.
I’d take Brown and Okudah over Simmons in a heart beat.
Yes, we’ve been in lockstep on this one for awhile.
Everyone says drafting Okudah is a bad idea cause he’s easy to avoid since he only plays half of the field, but here’s the thing about Simmons… no matter how versatile he is, he’s even easier to avoid.
Line him up over the TE? OK, well here’s my 2nd TE, or better yet my slot receiver, wide open. Line him up as a weakside backer? OK, we’ll run to the other side. Feel free to chase it down once we’ve gained 10 yards.
Line him up over a slot receiver or in single high and we’re not trying to avoid him at all, we’re targeting him.
The most impactful, unavoidable position he could play is his weakest: ILB. But line him up there and teams are gonna run it right at him over and over again. By the end of his rookie season, his team will be trying to hide him as much as use his versatility.
I’m not doubting his physical talents and effect on games. If he goes to a very specific sort of team, he could be a superstar. But it needs to be a team that’s already fairly stacked on defense… where he could be the piece that puts them over the top, not a foundational piece. He’s a luxury, basically. I see only one team in the top ten where it could work out for him like that: the Chargers. Next to James and behind Ingram and Bosa, he could do some real damage. It’s where I kind of hope he ends up.
Let’s say I phrased it poorly. Teams wouldn’t avoid Simmons, exactly; they’d take advantage of him. Sometimes that can be by throwing it to one of the 3-4 WR/TEs he’s not covering (same as Okudah), sometimes that will be by targeting him in the run game, or if he’s lined up against a receiver.
Look, I really like Simmons, but everyone’s irrational love for the guy on here has me playing devil’s advocate. For some reason everyone has stars in their eyes over this guy in particular. It’s like you’re imagining what he could be without taking a good hard look at who he is. I know it’s the draft and that’s what we do, but rarely is the discrepancy between those two so vast.
If you want to see the good and the bad of Simmons, go watch the national championship tape, every play on the all 22. He gets so much love for that game and he deserved it for his first half performance. But watch the 2nd half. Watch the way LSU adjusted. Not only did they render Simmons a non-factor, but they targeted him. They fooled him and baited him and when he got going one way, went the other. They ran plays directly at him, eradicating his chase ability. It was a lesson in domination, and all I could think was this is how the NFL’s gonna do him. I couldn’t un-see it once I had seen it.
We all see these points. We also see a player with virtually unlimited potential in the right setting. He is still learning…and he has all the tools one could ever want.
Ultimate risk/reward.
The thing with most of us is we KNOW that simply hitting a double/triple with Okudah or Brown will not get the lions any deeper into the playoffs. We have had that at CB with Slay…and even hit a home run with Suh at DT…and still couldnt win a playoff game.
Our hope is a home run at LB gives us something different.
He is a potential game changer. That’s what we need.
This is where the Simmons love comes from. IMHO it is justified.
Fair enough, I certainly don’t expect to see eye to eye with everyone, what fun would that be? At 3 or 5 or 6 I think he’s too risky, but if we were talking about taking him at 15 I’d be all over it. He and Becton are similar style prospects to me… really high ceilings and really low floors. I’d start thinking about drafting both around 15.
Perhaps, though, what explains the love for Simmons on here is a dissatisfaction with the alternatives. You mention Okudah and Brown as simply hitting a double or a triple, and I agree that’s their floor. But I think they’re both fully capable of becoming home runs. That’s the beauty of picking so highly, the prospects available are high floor (where Simmons fails) AND high ceiling. That’s what I want, and both Okudah and Brown fit the bill IMO, and most of the NFL seems to agree.
If you don’t think Okudah or Brown are anything more than doubles or triples, so be it, that’s just a difference of opinion and you’re gonna see what you see and I’m gonna see what I see and that’s what drives the board. It’s just I think you’re wrong lol.
I actually like Simmons but not in the top 10. If you really watch his game you’ll see he is unpolished. He’s physically gifted but so are a lot of other players in this draft. So why the hype? Why are people projecting him top 5? Personally I don’t think he will go top 5 and probably won’t go top 10. The only way I see a team drafting him this high is based on potential and upside. Carolina is probably the most likely landing spot but they need a CB worse and CJ Henderson is an elite athlete as well. He also has fewer holes in his game than Simmons does. He also plays a more premium position too. If Carolina passes on Simmons than I think he drops out of the top 10. Where he should be in my opinion.
It’s funny how when I say Okudah isn’t a top 3 talent or that Simmons isn’t top 5 people take that as hating on a players.
I’ll admit that sometimes I’m wrong on these things. It only takes one team to fall in love with a player. Personally I didn’t think TJ Hockenson was worthy of a top 10 pick last year either. But I feel that I am usually fairly close on this stuff.