2019 NFL Draft: 10 players who could fall out of the first round

There’s nothing on tape that would suggest that Mississippi State defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons might slip out of the first round. Simmons is undeniably one of the draft’s premier talents; he was a dominating presence on the interior of the Bulldogs’ defensive line for three years in Starkville.

Simmons racked up 33 tackles-for-loss in his 38 games with Mississippi State. He didn’t show much of a pass-rushing prowess, which could limit his suitors due to NFL teams always being in search of a player who can provide pass-rushing production from the middle in a foolish search for the next Aaron Donald.

Simmons is a terrific run-stopper though, and you would have been hard-pressed to find a better defensive line over the last couple of years than the one the Bulldogs boasted. Simmons was the catalyst, constantly occupying double teams in the middle so that ends, like projected first round edge-rusher Montez Sweat, could feast.

No, the concerns with Simmons have little to do with his on-field production. His tape shows an unquestioned first-round talent who is likely to have a long career in the NFL. He’s almost certainly going to be a first round pick for that alone.

What could end up knocking him down, however, is off-the-field concerns related to an ugly  incident from 2016 that surfaced shortly after he signed his National Letter of Intent with Mississippi State.

In a video, Simmons can be seen striking a woman on the ground multiple times. Simmons apologized vehemently in the aftermath of the incident, and has since not had any trouble during his collegiate career, but NFL teams will press him hard about the incident.

I have a hard time believing that a man capable of violence toward a woman is capable of changing; that ugly side of Simmons almost certainly still exists under the surface, he’s just been able to hide it.

The NFL has an ugly history with abuse toward women, with prominent players such as former Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt and former 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster having very public incidents during this season. However, talent continues to outshine these kind of character concerns as Foster has already been given a second chance by the Washington Redskins, and it’s only a matter of time before a team signs Hunt.

Simmons’ talent will likely overshadow his character concerns and an NFL team will almost certainly pull the trigger on him during the first round.