Harry
ASFN Consultant and Senior Writer
You’ve heard the old saying jack-of-all-trades, master of none. Simmons has created a new title, master-of-all-trades. Except for the line, he could play anywhere on defense. As a sophomore safety he led a national championship team in tackles. As a junior he won the Butkus Award as the top linebacker. He also was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
Don’t be disheartened if you look around the Internet and see several Bs given to the Cards’ pick. It’s those absurd grades that lead me to writing this. He was a no brainer at 8 but several scouts weren’t sure where he would play. This confusion, seemed to disorient scouts. This liability to some is an asset to me. You may recall early on I preferred Lamb. However, the more I studied Simmons and spoke with people I respected, the clearer it became he was a peerless talent. Lots of evaluators like to offer a comparable NFL player to help you visualize a skill set. My best thought was a super fast Adrian Wilson with better hands. Even that undervalues Simmons.
Just looking at raw traits, his 4.39 does not adequately describe his speed. BTW, the average linebacker time for the decade is 4.71. Simmons first step is ultra quick. His closing burst at tackling opportunities, sacks included, is outstanding. Additionally he carries that speed from sideline to sideline. One of the places he uses this speed is for bursting through gaps when blitzing.
A great high school track athlete, Simmons uses his agility combined with this speed to be a stronger tackler than his size would imply. He also uses that same agility to slip blockers. Add to this he takes terrific pursuit angles. Plus he’s a very secure tackler, missing very few opportunities. In fact, his tackle success rate was 94%. He posted Kahlil Mack-like Numbers in tackling. PFF stated Simmons played more than 100 snaps at five different positions—outside linebacker, inside linebacker, slot cornerback, free safety and strong safety. They graded him 80+ in all five rated aspects. No other player received such a distinction. Adam Stites of SB Nation called Simmons Combine performance “otherworldly.” Dane Brugler puts it, “I don't know if we've ever seen a guy like that. There's a little bit of Ryan Shazier to what he does, there's a little bit of Bruce Irvin and Kam Chancellor. If you combine all those guys, I think that's what you end up with."
In pass coverage Simmons has the athleticism of a safety combined with the frame of a linebacker. Not surprisingly, Simmons is most adept at press coverage. His vertical and agility also let him be decent in man coverage. He has good hands and plays the ball when in coverage. He is less adept at playing zone. This may come from the way he was moved around, as he seemed somewhat confused by his assignment. He did get a good drop and was adept at knocking down balls in the passing lane. He should be a big help covering tight ends and running backs even up the seam. His speed/agility combo typically allows him to lock down these routes. He can cover WRs, but the smooth ones like Jeudy can still get separation. At safety a few of the QBs were able to successfully move him with their eyes.
Simmons, despite his many skills, has things to learn. When back in a typical safety alignment he diagnoses plays quickly and flows to the ball rapidly. However, when playing close to the line he can get fooled by play action.
He is very teachable. He does, however, need to build strength to be as effective in the NFL as he was in college. If you’re curious, he graduated. He was also elected a team captain. He has zero character issues.
Think about this when considering his versatility. The Cards are getting hurt by a tight end catching passes or a QB scrambling. They simply shift their defense and target Simmons at the problem. Simmons simply changes position or focus. Most of the time; problem solved.
Don’t be disheartened if you look around the Internet and see several Bs given to the Cards’ pick. It’s those absurd grades that lead me to writing this. He was a no brainer at 8 but several scouts weren’t sure where he would play. This confusion, seemed to disorient scouts. This liability to some is an asset to me. You may recall early on I preferred Lamb. However, the more I studied Simmons and spoke with people I respected, the clearer it became he was a peerless talent. Lots of evaluators like to offer a comparable NFL player to help you visualize a skill set. My best thought was a super fast Adrian Wilson with better hands. Even that undervalues Simmons.
Just looking at raw traits, his 4.39 does not adequately describe his speed. BTW, the average linebacker time for the decade is 4.71. Simmons first step is ultra quick. His closing burst at tackling opportunities, sacks included, is outstanding. Additionally he carries that speed from sideline to sideline. One of the places he uses this speed is for bursting through gaps when blitzing.
A great high school track athlete, Simmons uses his agility combined with this speed to be a stronger tackler than his size would imply. He also uses that same agility to slip blockers. Add to this he takes terrific pursuit angles. Plus he’s a very secure tackler, missing very few opportunities. In fact, his tackle success rate was 94%. He posted Kahlil Mack-like Numbers in tackling. PFF stated Simmons played more than 100 snaps at five different positions—outside linebacker, inside linebacker, slot cornerback, free safety and strong safety. They graded him 80+ in all five rated aspects. No other player received such a distinction. Adam Stites of SB Nation called Simmons Combine performance “otherworldly.” Dane Brugler puts it, “I don't know if we've ever seen a guy like that. There's a little bit of Ryan Shazier to what he does, there's a little bit of Bruce Irvin and Kam Chancellor. If you combine all those guys, I think that's what you end up with."
In pass coverage Simmons has the athleticism of a safety combined with the frame of a linebacker. Not surprisingly, Simmons is most adept at press coverage. His vertical and agility also let him be decent in man coverage. He has good hands and plays the ball when in coverage. He is less adept at playing zone. This may come from the way he was moved around, as he seemed somewhat confused by his assignment. He did get a good drop and was adept at knocking down balls in the passing lane. He should be a big help covering tight ends and running backs even up the seam. His speed/agility combo typically allows him to lock down these routes. He can cover WRs, but the smooth ones like Jeudy can still get separation. At safety a few of the QBs were able to successfully move him with their eyes.
Simmons, despite his many skills, has things to learn. When back in a typical safety alignment he diagnoses plays quickly and flows to the ball rapidly. However, when playing close to the line he can get fooled by play action.
He is very teachable. He does, however, need to build strength to be as effective in the NFL as he was in college. If you’re curious, he graduated. He was also elected a team captain. He has zero character issues.
Think about this when considering his versatility. The Cards are getting hurt by a tight end catching passes or a QB scrambling. They simply shift their defense and target Simmons at the problem. Simmons simply changes position or focus. Most of the time; problem solved.
