Clemson Football: Cardinals get NFL draft’s biggest steal in Isaiah Simmons

Clemson football’s Isaiah Simmons fell to No. 8 in the 2020 NFL Draft before the Arizona Cardinals took him. He’ll prove to be the draft’s biggest steal.

Few would proclaim being picked eighth a “fall,” but when it comes to do-it-all defender Isaiah Simmons, the label fits. Measuring 6-foot-4 and weighing 238 pounds is impressive in its own right for a linebacker. Throw in his (unofficial) 40-yard-dash time of 4.39 seconds, and you’ll begin to understand why NFL franchises were salivating over this prospect.

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At Clemson, Simmons did a bit of everything for defensive coordinator Brett Venables. ESPN’s NFL Insider, Field Yates, counted the snap-count-by-position for Simmons in 2019 just to prove his versatility: 286 snaps at slot cornerback; 218 at safety; 160 at outside linebacker; 120 at inside/middle linebacker; and 17 as the boundary cornerback. He also rushed the passer 71 times and recorded seven sacks.

Basically, if you look up the word “versatility,” in the dictionary, you’re going to see a picture of the Olathe, Kan., native.

“So he can line up a bunch of different places, big deal. If he were that great he’d stay in one spot and dominate.”

That’s not entirely true.

You see guys like Aaron Donald line up at multiple positions on the defensive line during any given game, moving from defensive tackle to end, back to tackle, etc. He”s being schemed into the best-possible matchup. The same goes for Tyrann Mathieu. You’ll see him line up as the deep safety, in the slot, in the box, playing man, playing zone — he’s all over the place. And while their measurables couldn’t be further apart, Mathieu is an excellent comparison for Simmons.

Each, first and foremost, are winners. Mathieu at LSU and more recently in Kansas City, and Simmons at Clemson. It might not seem like a big deal, but knowing how to win, and more importantly, how to act when you win will go a long way.

Secondly, their versatility provides their respective teams a weapon very few have on defense. Just take the NFC West, for example, Simmons’ new division. The San Francisco 49ers have George Kittle at tight end, who is a great run blocker in addition to being one of the fastest and best receiving tight ends in the NFL. That’s a situation where the Cardinals can go, “Simmons, you’re going to shadow Kittle. Wherever he goes, you follow him.” Without Simmons, the Cardinals might be forced to double- or triple-team him, creating holes elsewhere in the defense.

The Seattle Seahawks are another division rival, with one of the best quarterbacks in the league in Russell Wilson. He’s not the spry 24-year-old running around anymore, but Wilson is still a savvy running threat that will cause opponents’ problems with his feet. Simmons, with his speed, would be able to contain those big gains on the ground and force Wilson to strictly be a passer.

That type of range — being able to cover a tight end to containing a quarterback — will give Arizona defensive coordinator Vance Joseph a bit of freedom and flexibility when game-planning.

NFL Analyst Lance Zierlein compared Simmons to the Indianapolis Colts’ Darius Leonard, a 6-foot-2, 240-pound linebacker that led the league in tackles, was named a first-team All-Pro performer, and the Defensive Rookie of the Year back in 2018. It’s hard to project a rookie making an All-Pro team, but if anyone in this class could do it, I’d put my money on Simmons.

While starring at Clemson, Simmons was no stranger to the post-season accolades. In addition to being the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, Simmons was also named a Consensus All-American and named the Dick Butkus Award winner, given to the nation’s most outstanding linebacker.

His production to get him there? Only 104 total tackles (16.5 tackles-for-loss), seven sacks, three interceptions, eight pass deflections, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. That’s quite a campaign.

The seven players drafted before Simmons weren’t bad — they’re top overall NFL draft picks for cripes sake — but I believe a few teams ahead of the Cardinals could’ve used Simmons’ immense talent. Are they happy with their picks? Probably, and most filled a need. But a player of Simmons’ caliber fills more than one need. Maybe that scared some teams away from taking him so high. But it all worked out for the Cardinals, who go the steal of the 2020 NFL Draft.