Scout Report – Jeffery Simmons

• Position: Defensive Tackle (Nose)
• College: Mississippi State Bulldogs
• Pre-Draft Position Rank: 2 of 31

Age: 21 / Height: 6’4 / Weight: 301 lbs
NFL Size Comparison: Gerald McCoy

• 

• Average Opposing Offense Rank: 64.9
• Average Opposing Pass Offense Rank: 68.4
• Average Opposing Rush Offense Rank: 58.9
• Average opposing PPG: 31.0/game
• Recorded Block Shed Record: 25-28-26 / 17 DT (2-10-5) / 2 NC
  • 32% shed rate, 65% contention rate
• Recorded Tackling Record: 8-3 / 2 assists

RESUME:

• Ranked 4th in the SEC conference for most TFL’s (18.0)
• Played against 4 ranked opponents (2-2)
  • vs. #8 Auburn (W 23-9)
    • 5 total tackles (2 solo, 3 assisted), 1 TFL, 1 Pass Deflection
  • @ #5 LSU (L 3-19)
    • 10 total tackles (3 solo, 7 assisted), 1 TFL
  • vs. #16 Texas A&M (W 28-13)
    • 3 total tackles (3 assisted),
  • @ #1 Alabama (L 0-24)
    • 6 total tackles (5 solo, 1 assisted), 2 TFL
• Played against 3 top-25 offenses
  • #16 Texas A&M, ranked 15th
  • #1 Alabama, ranked 6th
  • Ole Miss, ranked 9th
• Played against 2 top-25 pass offense
  • #1 Alabama, ranked 6th
  • Ole Miss, ranked 5th
• Played against 2 top-25 rush offenses
  • Louisiana, ranked 22nd
  • #16 Texas A&M, ranked 21st
• Competed against 11 NFL draft prospects
  • Ross Pierschbacher, Alabama C #71 (ranked 5 of 8)
  • Jonah Williams, Alabama OG #73 (ranked 1 of 39)
  • Lester Cotton, Alabama OG #66 (ranked 32 of 39)
  • Javon Patterson, Ole Miss C #79 (ranked 6 of 8)
  • Sean Rawlings, Ole Miss C #50 (ranked 8 of 8)
  • Erik McCoy, Texas A&M C #64 (ranked 2 of 8)
  • Keaton Sutherland, Texas A&M OG #78 (ranked 22 of 39)
  • Fred Johnson, Florida OG #74 (ranked 15 of 39)
  • Martez Ivey, Florida OG #73 (ranked 23 of 39)
  • Hjaite Frohoidt, Arkansas OG #51 (ranked 18 of 39)
  • Bunchy Stallings, Kentucky OG #65 (ranked 30 of 39)
• 2x First team All-SEC (2017, 2018)

Strengths:

• Has enough drive to move into the pocket while being blocked
• Possesses the strength needed to hold ground on double teams if he knows it is coming
• Shows potential to use quick hands to outmaneuver the O-linemen
• Can squeeze himself through gaps in outside zone runs and disrupt the flow of the play
• shows good game sense, against Alabama, recognized the screen pass quickly and did not bite on the free QB
• Possesses a good level of stamina, seems to get better as the game goes on
• Disruptive strength can make him a problem in 1v1 situations at the line
• Shows good body control and drive power, difficult to stop him when he is in his motion
• Shows good speed for a lineman when running along the line to the sideline, can make runners hesitate to take it back around, or even cute back to the inside

Weaknesses:

• Gives up too much ground on the inside run, can make A-gap a favorite target for more powerful runners
• Slow off the snap, consistently loses advantageous positioning
• Does not possess great footwork and balance, continually trips over himself or others
• Slow to initiate a move to bypass defenders, can give runners or the QB extra valuable seconds to get a pass going
• Not agile, even moderately evasive QBs can elude his rush in the pocket
• Can be repetitive on his moveset, giving smarter O-Linemen an unnecessary advantage over him
• Did not perform well against Alabama’s O-line, was consistently outplayed and outmaneuvered
• Poor against double teams

Bold Predictions:

• Draft Placement: Mid 1st – Early 2nd Round
• Plays like: Ndamukong Suh
• Ceiling: NFL starter
• Floor: 4 & out

Overview:

Simmons’s film shows a lot of potential in what his game can be, as his abilities range from impressively effective to disappointingly minuscule. Positive points in his game revolve around his potential to use his hands quickly and outmaneuver his blockers, and the sense in game to maintain his relevance in the play. He can be inconsistent with his use of full body motion, and his use of hands is spacious throughout the game. This tells that this is not a regular part of his game and needs to be developed further. Large downsides to his game come from his physical abilities, as his directional mobility could use a lot of work, and his overall speed and quickness off the snap are points to build off. While he can show signs of great strength, overall he gives up way too much ground in the A gap as a nose when he is facing the inside run, and will need to better prepare for vicious double blocks, something he has had trouble with in college. I believe he has what is needed to become a starter in the NFL, though I believe this will be completely dependent on his ability to play the double team. It is within the realm of possibility Simmons is simply replaced with another hot prospect in future drafts.