*Walt taking 2014 and 2018 |
Charlie Campbell, Senior Draft Analyst |
Jeffery Simmons Still Sought After
Updated March 3, 2019By Charlie Campbell. Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell.
It seems like every year, there is an unfortunate incident of an injury that happens to a draft prospect while he is training for the combine or pre-draft workouts. This year, that terrible luck struck Mississippi State defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, as he tore an ACL while preparing for the NFL Scouting Combine. Prior to the injury, Simmons was a consensus top-16 selection. After the injury, however, a number of team sources felt he was on the bubble. While here in Indianapolis, WalterFootball.com reached out to a few team sources to get an update on where they stand with drafting Simmons. Overall, teams have not changed from their initial post-injury reaction.
“We had him with a top-10 grade before the injury,” said one NFC general manager. “Going in the first now is a crapshoot, but at the top of the second, nobody will hesitate to take him if he gets there.”
A few other team sources felt similarly that late first round is possible but very iffy, while early second round looks safe. One thing that will help Simmons to go in the first round is the fact there aren’t 32 players with first-round grades. Most team sources say their board has around 20 players who graded out as true first-rounders. Thus, some players with consensus second-round grades are going to get selected in the 20s. A top-10 talent like Simmons will be appealing to teams picking the 20s with second-round graded players available. Plus, some of the playoff teams picking in that portion of the draft have strong enough rosters where they can be patient with Simmons’ rehab.
While Simmons suffered some terrible luck with his ACL tear, he still has a shot at being a first-round pick, and if he slips to the second round he should not have a long wait, according to team sources.
