All-American linebacker Isaiah Simmons, who won a national title and earned ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors while at Clemson, was selected eighth overall by Arizona in Thursday’s NFL Draft.
As a red-shirt junior in 2019, Simmons received the Butkus Award as college football’s top linebacker. The irony, of course, is that Simmons only played there on a part-time basis, also starring at safety and slot corner for the ACC Champion Tigers. A label-eschewing prodigy who tested in the 98th percentile of SPARQ athletes at the Combine, it’s anyone’s guess what distant galaxy Simmons came from. Position-less hybrids in Simmons’ mold tend to be dismissed as mere novelties, but that logic doesn’t apply here. The 21-year-old Swiss-Army knife excelled everywhere he played at Clemson and he should be a similar disruptor upon his arrival in the NFL.
Measurables: 6’4”/238
School: Clemson
2019 Stats: 104 tackles (67 solo), 16 tackles for loss, seven sacks, one forced fumble, three interceptions
Accolades: Butkus Award (2019), Unanimous All-American (2019), ACC Defensive Player of the Year (2019), National Champion (2018), First-team All-ACC (2019), Chuck Bednarik Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy finalist (2019), Lott IMPACT Trophy finalist (2019), All-State receiver/defensive back in his native Kansas, long jump state champion in high school
Strengths: Only an athletic freak could seamlessly shift between three different positions and Simmons, who blazed a heroic 4.39 at the Combine, is assuredly that. A state-champion long jumper in high school, Simmons is a tackling machine with considerable coverage chops (can you envision anything more terrifying than a 6’4” DB?) and a Gandalf (“YOU SHALL NOT PASS”) approach to the ground game. Whether it’s employing him in nickel packages, blitzing him or even tapping him as a spy against mobile quarterbacks, Simmons’ size and versatility present infinite possibilities. A participant in two National Championships, Simmons’ big-game pedigree should serve him well at the next level.
Weaknesses: Simmons’ relative newness to linebacker can be apparent at times—his instincts at that position are still developing. He’s also more polished in man coverage than in zone and is sometimes slow to separate from blocks (particularly when he’s wrapped up with opposing tight ends), a weakness that occasionally takes him out of plays. But that’s just splitting hairs. Any way you slice it, Simmons is a gridiron unicorn with sky-high potential.
Player Comparison: Derwin James
There really is no comparing Simmons, the first and only of his kind, but his coverage skills and appetite for big hits are reminiscent of Chargers bully Derwin James, a similarly gifted athlete whose disruptive tendencies have made him among the most feared safeties in football.
What Experts Are Saying
“Simmons' pass coverage is his best trait and he should be an asset in coverage quickly in his NFL career.” – Charlie Campbell, Walter Football
“Simmons’ versatility on the football field is almost unheard of.” – Thor Nystrom, Rotoworld
“Ascending hybrid talent with rare length, speed and versatility to create mismatches for the offense, depending upon alignment.” – Lance Zierlein, NFL.com
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