Pick 19 of the 2019 NFL Draft: Jeffery Simmons, DT, Miss St.

Impressive physical specimen offering rare combination of strength and athleticism for future dominance in a variety of defensive schemes. Simmons involvement in a fight between two women in 2016 will surely be a cause for concern, but his avoidance of trouble while at college should help his cause. His on-field issues are self-created and largely due to a lack of instincts, but the physical tools and immense upside outweigh those concerns. Simmons has All-Pro potential and should become an early starter and star.

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Jeffery Simmons is a disruptive interior defender who will make a muck of the pocket on passing situations and be an effective penetration tackle in the NFL. Simmons' ceiling will be defined by how much better he can be at finishing plays and/or by how effective his teammates are and playing the same style of football. Simmons has high end explosiveness/length, which will come in handy in efforts to disrupt play between the tackles.

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Simmons was one of college football’s most disruptive defensive lineman in 2018. Simmons combines natural athletic ability with power, explosiveness and quickness that allows him to penetrate gaps and win one-on-one situations.

He plays light on his feet and moves very fluidly. Simmons has impressive range against the run and can control opposing lineman with his hand usage. Despite finishing 2018 with just two sacks, he flashes pass rush ability, as he can bull rush or use his counters to cleanly beat interior offensive linemen. Simmons gets down the line quickly and suddenly sheds blocks to make play on running backs in the backfield.

Simmons hasn’t even scratched the surface of his potential. His ceiling is as a dominate, disruptive interior defender with above average pass rush production. His off-field incident will be weighed differently by each NFL team. He is scheme diverse, but is an ideal fit for 4-3 teams and profiles best as a 3-technique at the next level.

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