2013 NFL Draft: John Simon Prospect Profile
By John Carey
Oct 13, 2012; Bloomington, IN, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive lineman John Simon (54) against the Indiana Hoosiers during the 2nd half at Memorial Stadium. Ohio State defeated Indiana 52-49. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports
John Simon was a great player at Ohio State, he was a 2 time captain, and was a great leader on the team, even gaining praise from Urban Meyer for his leadership qualities. In terms of his NFL career, he will be a great addition to any locker room and will be a guy who is an outstanding member of his community and will be a workout warrior. In terms of how he will be on the field, he would be a good fit as a 4-3 defensive end or undersized defensive tackle whose priority is stopping the run, but in terms of a pass rusher, he is undersized and he lacks the explosion and athleticism necessary to be a consistent pass rusher in the NFL.
Measurables:
6’11” Height
33 ¼” Arms
257 lbs. Weight
9 ½” Hands
Strengths:
One of Simon’s strengths is that he has a motor that never stops, and plays relentlessly to the blow of the whistle. He is a very good run defender and does a good job setting the edge against the run and attacks offensive tackles with his brute strength. He tackles through the ball carrier and he rarely misses a tackle. He has a very strong upper body that helps him keep blockers off balance and shove them out of the way. He is a very smart player and shows excellent play recognition skills. He also showed that he could swat the ball down, often putting his hands up at the line of scrimmage and breaking up his opponents passes. He has very good short area quickness and has a good bend around the edge to be able to get around tackles and gain a step on blockers. He was also an elite special teams player at Ohio State and was very good in coverage and likely will be a great special teams player in the NFL. Simon played both left end and right end at Ohio State, and he even moved inside to defensive tackle at times.
Weaknesses:
While Simon is very strong, one could argue that he is almost too bulky, which really can limit his flexibility at times, something that showed at the Senior Bowl, as he struggled covering tight ends and running backs as an outside linebacker. He also doesn’t have very good arm length, and that makes it difficult for him to disengage off blockers at times. While his intensity is a strength of his, it can also be a weakness at times, as he often can play too energetic and will wear himself out due to the relentlessness that he has. He also can take overly aggressive angles at times. He doesn’t have consistent explosion, and he doesn’t really have any creativity as a pass rusher, which in the NFL will allow tackles to figure him out and use good technique to stop him.
Projection:
Simon is a guy I have trouble projecting where he will go. He could go as early as the late second round, but could also go as late as the late fourth round. For now, I project he will end up a late third to mid fourth round pick.
Grade: 6.5