Isaiah Simmons, the Clemson LB, sits at No. 4 on the consensus board across 28 public boards. The tier model reads him as an impact starter — 51% elite, 26% starter.
Athleticism
NFL.com's Lance Zierlein: “Ascending hybrid talent with rare length, speed and versatility to create mismatches for the offense, depending upon alignment.”
Instincts
ESPN's Todd McShay: “He has the range and ball skills to play in deep-half coverage.”
Physicality
ESPN's Todd McShay: “Simmons has the frame and athletic ability to hold up one-on-one against most tight ends.”
Production Context
ESPN's Todd McShay: “Simmons has elite natural talent and is one of the most versatile defenders in the draft class.”
Production Context
NFL.com's Lance Zierlein: “His unique potential to spy and shrink the field against dual-threat quarterbacks could push him way up the draft board.”
Sources · 5 · quotes 3
The report above is our synthesis. These links preserve the research trail; quoted language below remains the source's own.
- Lance Zierlein, NFL.com
- Todd McShay, ESPN
- Todd McShay / Steve Muench, espn_todd_mcshay
- Lance Zierlein, nfl_com_zierlein
- Mel Kiper Jr., espn_mel_kiper
“…Simmons has elite natural talent and is one of the most versatile defenders in the draft class. He does it all. Simmons has the frame and athletic ability to hold up one-on-one against most tight ends. He has the range and ball skills to play in deep-half coverage. He shows first-step burst, bend and closing speed in getting to the quarterback off the edge. And he's a sideline-to-sideline run defender who does an abo…”
“…Ascending hybrid talent with rare length, speed and versatility to create mismatches for the offense, depending upon alignment. He has a bachelor's at three positions (slot corner, safety, linebacker) but could earn a master's degree in complex workload with a more focused and defined job description than "jack-of-all-trades." He can handle zone or man coverage from a variety of spots on the field, which gives defens…”
“…HT : 6-foot-3 | WT: 238 | Highlights It's rare to see this type of size and athleticism, and some teams think he could play safety. Stat to know: Simmons played 120-plus snaps at inside linebacker, outside linebacker, slot cornerback and safety last season, and he even lined up at perimeter cornerback on 17 snaps.…”
Sourced synthesis from 5 scouting sources, not original film. How these reports are written →