Build it and the quarterback will come, 2020 NFL Draft and beyond
11
Isaiah Simmons LB
Scouting Report
Technically this isn’t exactly up the middle as Isaiah Simmons is a do a little bit of everything type linebacker but man is this kid insane. Isaiah Simmons is the closest thing we will be getting to a unicorn in the NFL, there just hasn’t been anything like him that we can even begin to compare him to.
We’ve seen fast linebackers or tall linebackers, but we haven’t seen a fast and tall linebacker that does the things he can do on tape. He is exactly what today’s prototype linebacker is turning into and he might be the new standard at the position.
https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1205317165085265920?s=20
A converted safety, Simmons has the athleticism to do almost anything he wants to on a football field without many wrongs. He’s a freak of an athlete and uses that athleticism to fly around the field and make plays that only he is capable of making and has amazing range as a sideline to sideline tackler who plays with great angles and fantastic pursuit to go along with his high effort.
Simmons doesn’t just rely on his athleticism; he has the strength to take on blocks and shed them consistently. He has the quickness to slip second level blockers as well and keep himself free and not allow runs to spring for big gains. Simmons provides good coverage abilities as a curl/flat defender who knows how to leverage routes in underneath coverage.
His 6’4” and 230 pound frame allows him to shrink throwing windows for quarterbacks and force them to put a little more air on the ball when driving the ball in the intermediate areas of the field. Simmons has the foot speed to run on vertical routes with backs out of the backfield and shows potential to be a tight end eraser at the next level.
Isaiah Simmons is an elite talent that is perfect for today’s game who can be a chess piece player that allows a defense to take the next step towards elite territory. He looks like a top ten player in this 2020 NFL Draft class and could hear his name called in that same range.